Simplicity Blossoms When Coercion Dies
by Samurai Smee
Summary: Sasuke x Neji. Anbu Neji gets poisoned by his enemies, but is found by Team Hebi where a certain avenging Uchiha realizes that not everything in life has to be complicated. Yaoi and my usual dramatic writing.
1. Chapter 1

Simplicity Blossoms When Coercion Dies

Chapter One

"They're collecting at various points around us. They must be getting ready for an ambush," one Anbu black ops reported to the other two similarly dressed officers in his rank as they stood in a small circle and quickly formulated a plan of execution.

"What are their locations, Hawk?" another Anbu asked the first speaker, prompting him to activate his Byakugan from behind his white and red-striped hawk mask to provide his officers with accurate pinpoints of the enemy's locations around their current parameter.

"A squad of three men is north northeast of here at six hundred and thirty-three yards. Another squad of the same size is southwest and closing in from two hundred and fifty-seven yards. The last one has four members heading in from due west at approximately five hundred and twelve yards," the long-haired Byakugan user informed his comrades gravely as he continued his essential report with a low, hushed voice, "All of them are armed with kunai knives and are approaching at an astounding rate."

"I'll head to the north to cut off their reinforcements," the rabbit mask-wearing Anbu black ops said indifferently as all of them processed Hawk's information about the enemy locations and how much distance they needed to cover as quickly as possible.

"Right. I'll head west and handle the four-man squad," Hawk added calmly before all three of them sped off in their different directions, the third, squirrel-masked Anbu already having his indirect orders to take the last squad that was left to him without question or concern.

The Anbu black ops referred to as Hawk raced through the dense forestry with blinding speed, utilizing his expertise as an experienced, decorated officer of Konoha military to move as swiftly as the passing breezes while he honed in on his enemy, much like a fierce but patient predator tracks his unfortunate prey.

Keeping his inherited Byakugan activated, Hawk leapt through the enormous, aged trees that allowed only broken shards of direct sunlight to penetrate the thick canopy, before coming to an abrupt stop on top of one of the more shaded branches that overlooked a small clearing.

Hawk watched with his black and grey-colored, x-ray vision as the four members of the enemy squad still another hundred yards ahead him suddenly dashed off in multiple directions before disappearing completely from his line of sight.

"What…" Hawk whispered quietly to himself as he gracefully leapt down from his branch and into the grassy clearing that he had been positive the enemy would have run across as per their general direction that they had been travelling for some time.

Then, from up above his head, three of the enemy members, all dressed in light brown, long-sleeved shirts and pants, fishnet undershirts, and cream-colored masks that only covered their mouths and noses, suddenly appeared with their kunai raised high, ready to strike Hawk down now that they had him out in the open.

Hawk growled in his throat upon realizing that he had been successfully lured out into the clearing and that the vision of the four-man cell suddenly disappearing had been a cleverly-timed Genjutsu, as the long-haired Konoha shinobi deftly reached into two of his three back pouches and retrieved many shuriken in his gloved, pointed hands.

Within a blink of an eye, Hawk launched all of the deadly shuriken from his fingers, all perfectly aimed at multiple vital points on his descending enemies, while the Anbu was already anticipating his weapons being deflected as he backed up from his spot so that they would miss him as well.

Shrill, metal clangs reverberated throughout the crisp, clean air as the enemies skillfully knocked away Hawk's diverting shuriken, then proceeded to race towards the Konoha Anbu the instant their feet touched the ground, none of them seeming deterred by the fact that Hawk was smoothly slipping into his strange but graceful fighting stance.

Hawk had his left, gloved hand pointing out in front of him, fingers pointing up, while his right was kept hovering in front of his stomach in a highly advanced martial arts form that would allow for precise offense and defense maneuvers to be performed fluidly.

The long-haired Anbu officer took a deep breath from behind his mask, not feeling any fear or trepidation about his approaching battle whatsoever as he allowed for his 'warrior's calm' to fully overtake his senses, making them sharper, keener, ready for anything, as Hawk's body abruptly burst into action that surprised his advancing attackers.

Quickly reaching out with his steady, left hand, Hawk seized one man's wrist in an iron grip and jerked him forward, utilizing the enemy's moment of uncertainty to his advantage as he got behind the startled man and threw a swift side-punch to the back of the man's neck, pleased when he heard the man cry out shortly in pain.

The other two enemies had to hurriedly change their momentum now that their target was just inches behind them, but Hawk was already crouching down low, shifting his weight fast, as he moved to another man and slammed the heel of his palm harshly into his chin as he stood up straight from his squatting position.

The attacked man's head snapped back upon impact, and Hawk knew that he would not be able to take the third enemy by surprise now, as the chocolate-haired Anbu was already digging into another one of his pouches again for a weapon.

Another sizzling clash of sharpened metal sang out in everyone's ears as Hawk parried a blow from the third enemy with his own kunai, their masked faces close enough that the Anbu could clearly see the tiny beads of sweat starting to dot the enemies exposed forehead as they tested their strength against each other between their blades.

However, the enemy tried to twist his body away with enough time to throw a mid-range kick to Hawk's torso, but the Anbu had already suspected such a move that would ultimately put some distance between them, as the long-haired shinobi lifted up his foreleg and expertly blocked the kick that would have otherwise sent him flying backwards to crash into the trees.

With a labored grunt, Hawk used his position of having his body being turned partially away from his enemy as well to free a hand from his knife to hastily propel his body forward with his open palm aimed right at the brown-dressed man's stomach.

"Gentle Fist!" Hawk roared as he slammed his palm into the enemy's stomach, wisps of light-blue chakra curling up from the Anbu's gloved hand as he performed the rare but devastating attack.

"Gah…! Arg…"the man bellowed in horrendous pain, his bulky frame tumbling backwards as he choked on his own blood that was quickly coating the cream-colored mask in front of his mouth.

Suddenly, just when Hawk thought he had bought himself a bit of time, the fourth member of the enemy squad burst up from the solid forest floor, breaking apart the earth in chunks as the last man that had remained hidden all this time sprang up right in front of Hawk with his fists raised high.

Hawk grit his teeth as he had to instinctually leap high into the air to avoid the man's surprise attack, his long, low-kept pony-tail falling off of his broad, pale shoulders as he glided away from his previous spot, already sensing the remaining members reforming their rank to receive him.

Then, having blurred into vision up above Hawk, one of the enemies attempted to intercept Hawk's airborne position, preemptively throwing kunai knives with a furious growl escaping him at the seemingly vulnerable Anbu.

Hawk had seen the man's aerial attack via his Byakugan, so the long-haired Konoha officer had angled his own trajectory towards a huge, thick tree where he immediately set his chakra-enhanced feet upon to stand, before elegantly turning his body around with a sweep of his legs, making an astounding sphere of light-blue chakra swirl all around him, defending him from every one of the on-coming weapons that were, in turn, volleyed back towards the attackers.

"Shit! What the hell was that?!" one enemy hollered indignantly, having to duck away from the immediate area now that the Anbu had used their own weapons against them as he watched the hawk-masked man drop down from the trees to be on the ground now that he had gained some more space.

X

Meanwhile, at a different point in the landscape…

"Karin…I cannot even begin to tell you how horrible your face is. All of your swooning over Sasuke is totally pointless, unless you change your face," a mockingly chipper voice commented very matter-of-factly to his red-haired female companion as they, along with another two people, continued to trek through the orange-colored cliff pathways that overlooked much of the forest below.

"What was that, you fish-smelling freak!?" the glasses-wearing female roared heatedly at her ever-calm, white-haired teammate as she balled up her fists at his uncaring features as they strayed a bit from the other two members who were up ahead.

"Stop it, both of you," the raven-haired leader of the group announced somberly, having halted his steps as he turned his pale, handsome face towards the heavily wooded area off to the side of their mountain ranges.

"What is it, Sasuke? Who do you sense?" Juugo asked seriously, the orange-haired giant watching the Uchiha's expressions carefully to deduce if they had trouble to deal with or not.

Sasuke only concentrated for a moment more towards the far-off direction before smirking slightly to himself upon realizing the answer to Juugo's question.

"I'm going to go check something out," Sasuke informed his group curtly, his smooth voice holding a no-nonsense tone as he gave his team their orders, "I'll meet you at the inn that Karin had specified in the next town over. "

Juugo nodded at the Uchiha's confidant words, trusting him always and unconditionally.

"Whatever…just hurry up with your errand!" Suigetsu called after the oftentimes arrogant Uchiha as the raven swiftly leapt off of the rock ledge that they were all on, so he may swoop down into the crowded forests below and seek out the source of so much skillfully controlled chakra.

Karin had been about to protest the whole idea of Sasuke parting from the group, even temporarily, as her mouth was hanging open, but no words had been able to make it out before the avenger slipped away from the group and towards the dangerous woods.

Sasuke sprinted through the trees like a man on a mission, the fine-tuned chakra within the atmosphere positively calling out to him, luring him closer by the sheer intensity the user must be executing with experienced jutsus and manipulations of his power as he obviously squared off against multiple opponents at once.

The Uchiha's brow was slightly furrowed, however, as he assessed the chakra signature over and over again to the best of his abilities, but he simply could not place the information with a name or a face.

It felt familiar, but also like something he had never truly known at all.

Sasuke narrowed his midnight-colored eyes as he increased his already blinding speed through the obscure tree branches, determined to seek out such an owner of unique abilities that tugged vaguely at something else within him.

X

"Haah…!" Hawk yelled as he ran swiftly towards one of the singled-out enemy, his fingertips already buzzing with his powerful chakra kept masterfully honed over the years as he closed the distance between them and readied his advances.

The enemy threw a punch aimed for Hawk's head which was expertly avoided, followed by a hasty round-house kick that the Anbu blocked squarely with his shielded forearms, delivering the attacker a certain amount of pain from striking metal instead of flesh.

"Eight Trigrams…Sixty-Four Palms!" Hawk voiced boldly, neither his tone nor his mannerisms carrying that of malice or hatred, only bravery and valiance in the face of that which contradicts what he had sworn his life to as he performed one of his most terrifying jutsus known throughout the ninja world.

The next instant, Hawk jabbed his first fingers into specific places on his enemy's form, the latter's chakra supply within his body audibly fizzling out of existence, and the Konoha officer was a second away from delivering many more crippling blows, but the brown-clothed man hurriedly leapt away from the powerful Anbu and performed a series of hand signs.

Hawk's pale eyes widened from behind his mask as he watched his enemy's form swirl out of view, almost as if he had disintegrated into thin air, before hurriedly turning around on account of hearing charging footsteps from behind.

As Hawk knowingly grabbed onto the arm of the rapidly approaching enemy who had wanted a chance to attack the Anbu's back, and tossed him over his shoulder onto the ground, the Anbu black ops finally understood a key element about his strange enemy.

These men were obviously skilled at stealth jutsus, including different kinds of Genjutsu, which was why they were not only trying to keep Hawk at a distance while fighting, they were taking to distracting him while another man was stationed elsewhere to execute a surprise attack.

This enemy was not particularly skilled at close-range combat, but they could decipher special dimensions and know exactly where the Anbu was going to end up possibly even before he did.

…but what else?

There had to be another reason these squads of this enemy force had to be so deadly that Konoha would choose to send Anbu black ops officers after them.

Hawk could feel it in his gut that he was overlooking something about these men.

Just as the previously tossed man was getting back up again, Hawk brought his clothed palms close to his body, his stance wide but confident as he glared at the enemy member and readied his strike, channeling his chakra into almost tangible folds of current around him.

"Eight Trigrams…Empty Palm!" Hawk shouted fiercely as he sharply shot out both of his palms at his target, delivering an unforeseeable force of powerful wind infused with chakra that punched directly into the enemy's torso like a blunt stone being shoved into it on it from absolutely nowhere.

The man gurgled his own spit mixed with blood as his proximity to the deadly, accurate Anbu officer had been too close, rendering the win-borne palm strike a fatal blow to his person as he crumbled to the ground with his eyes opened wide, wanting to scream but unable to any more.

_Thud! _

_Thud! _

_Thud!_

"Grr…ugh…!"Hawk mumbled through painfully grit teeth as his right arm was abruptly jerked away from his body, ultimately breaking his stance from his destructive jutsu where his arms had been outstretched in front of him, on account of the three, razor-sharp shuriken being embedded into the side of his forearm.

X

On an elevated, grassy hill that scooped over a small clearing within the woods, Sasuke Uchiha remained hidden behind the rich, green shrubs and trees that cloaked his presence perfectly.

The highly-adept Uchiha had easily found the location of the battle and had immediately taken to hiding a little ways away from the main fighting grounds as he simply observed what was happening, and, more importantly, that Anbu black ops who was the one executing all of the advanced chakra techniques.

"_Sixty-four palms…where have I heard of that jutsu before?" _Sasuke mentally questioned himself as his dark eyes remained glued onto the scene before him, finding it quite intriguing how the aforementioned Anbu was using his attackers' own methods against them as he parried their weapons and their blows with ease.

However, Sasuke had quirked up a thin, black eyebrow upon seeing firsthand how the one attacker remained from view, due to his Genjutsu, had lodged a few shuriken into the side of the Anbu officer's arm while he had been busy defeating another opponent.

"_Stealth tactics…what a disgrace,"_ Sasuke sneered to himself once more, finding it rather cowardly how that four-man squad operated and fought battles, always having one man in hiding to deliver quick blows when the one foe was occupied.

Nonetheless, Sasuke watched adamantly as the long-haired Anbu from Konoha schooled his pain, steadied his breathing, so he could be ready for more – the sight of which almost bringing a light-hearted smile to the avenger's beautiful face.

X

His fists clenched in pain, Hawk tried desperately to steel his nerves, forget the raging, red-hot ache now throbbing in his arm, while he activated his Byakugan once more and spun around in his spot as he could see a lone enemy charging at him at full speed.

"The shuriken must have come from the fourth man who used Genjutsu to disappear," Hawk analyzed out loud to himself only a second before having to duck away from the man's barrage of fury-driven attacks, making him more reckless and unpredictable.

"_Wait! If one of them is using close-range attacks on me again , then that means…!"_ the long-haired shinobi mentally surmised too late, for as soon as he blocked another few punched aimed at his masked faced and chest, the fourth and last remaining member of the squad materialized directly behind the Anbu and kicked him hard in the back.

"…oof!" Hawk grumbled as his air left him too quickly upon falling to the ground, the genius Anbu officer starting to notice that his vision was beginning to swim before his eyes, his senses becoming much too hazy for his liking, and his usually lightning-fast reaction time was far from adequate as he lay there on the mild forest floor.

"Ha ha ha!" one of the two enemy males laughed cruelly from up above the fallen, disoriented Anbu black ops, before sitting down harshly on top of his slender, vest-clad back, "Looks like we caught him!"

Hawk squirmed underneath the heavy-set man currently sitting on top of his back, mocking him to his comrade as he grabbed one of his black-clothed arms and raised it high at an excruciating angle.

"Arg!" the Konoha officer said in a strangled voice as he felt the man sitting on him painfully pry his arm off of the ground as he continued speaking to his fellow rogue ninja.

"I say we break his arms before we take him back. What do you think?" the hulking man carried on indifferently to the second ninja whom Hawk could feel step to his other side from his spot on the cool, grainy earth.

"I think that's the best idea you've had in a while," the second ninja agreed maniacally, his voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard, as he seized the long-haired man's other arm and held it up in the air in between both of his hands to start applying horrible pressure.

X

Having still not moved from his spot on the knoll, Sasuke slightly parted his lips in a silent gasped as he finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together to figure out the truth about the masked Anbu officer, his jaw sort of ticking to a side as he considered the weight of him now knowing what he did.

The ability to virtually see all angles at any given moment; the advantage and preference for close-range combat; the fact that this long-haired man was at the rank of Anbu at his age, Sasuke Uchiha understood whom he had been watching all this time now.

Neji Hyuuga.

This time, Sasuke did smile.

X

Pushing away his bleary senses, completely ignoring his blurring vision, Neji gathered every once of strength he could as he filled his lungs with precious air, stilled his warrior mind, and controlled his chakra as he had done so many times before – the young Anbu black ops knowing that his life depended on him keeping a cool and collected head right now even in spite of the two, bickering fools on top of him wishing to break both of his arms.

"E-eight…Tri…Trigrams…"Neji began, trying desperately to reign in his accumulating anger so that it replaced his unnatural fatigue, "…Mountain Crusher!"

"What the…AHH!" the larger man sitting on top of the Hyuuga voiced in utter confusion before being suddenly pummeled by a massive explosion of chakra that had erupted out of the long-haired shinobi's every pore, the offensive jutsu providing more than enough damaging force to shove the remaining two enemies off of him and careening into trees at opposite ends of the clearing.

Through his own heavy pants of air, Neji did not hear the last two men move from where they had collided with the trees, so he sluggishly stood up from lying on the ground but was not yet able to stand up perfectly straight as he kept his shoulders hunched over a bit.

The forest was quiet, no more sounds of weapons meeting or the huffs of air one often produces when engaging in heated battle with others; and the Hyuuga attempted to calm his failing, exhausted body down, figure out what was wrong with him, and, hopefully, reconvene with his Anbu comrades as soon as possible.

Finding it harder and harder to keep his lovely eyes open, Neji forced himself to bring his fingers to his injured arm and snatch out the deeply-embedded shuriken from his own flesh, only now noticing how much blood was running down his black-clothed arm and dripping off of his pointed fingers as a result.

"Ugh…urg…"the Anbu growled low in his throat as he finished pulling out the small, star-shaped weapons from his forearm, letting them clatter to the ground carelessly as he wavered on his feet for a bleak and fading moment, totally oblivious to the ominous eyes watching him, the mysterious person quickly closing in on him from his spot up on a nearby hill that overlooked the small scenery.

Neji briefly licked his lips from behind his mask, his genius mind unfortunately failing with being able to properly consider forest routes back to his comrades' locations or how important it was to seek them out straight away, for the next instant, the Hyuuga was rushed backwards a few feet until his back slammed up against the rough, but familiar bark of a humongous tree.

The Anbu officer had closed his eyes upon feeling his back meet the tree, and could not help but keep them closed as per his weary, lethargic state where he barely registered how his left arm was being pinned to the scratchy bark of the tree above his head in a solid grip.

"It's definitely been a while…"Sasuke purred deceptively sweetly, acid lining his charming words, as he lifted his free hand up to the Anbu's hawk mask and carefully pulled it away from the Leaf shinobi's face, "…Neji Hyuuga."

Neji's milky, lavender eyes were half-lidded and staring dreamily at the ground, long, straight locks of his chocolate-colored mane hung thickly around his pale, beautiful face, as he slowly blinked his eyes up to look upon his unexpected visitor who somehow knew his real identify; his strength almost completely vanished from his body, however, as he did not even struggle against the hand holding his left wrist against the tree.

"Sasuke Uchiha…?" Neji voiced breathlessly with some effort, the Hyuuga not believing his unfocused eyes as he beheld the smirking, attractive face of one of Konoha's most outrageous criminals standing right before him, the raven looking at him almost affectionately as he obviously enjoyed seeing the Hyuuga in such a comprised and frazzled state.

"I'm glad you remember me, Hyuuga," Sasuke continued in his velvety-sweet voice as his onyx eyes took in how the long-haired man was trembling and panting beneath his touch as he kept him sandwiched in between his own body and the solid tree at his back, finding such information about the gorgeous Leaf ninja unforeseeably arousing in spite of the circumstances.

"T-the…sh-shuriken…"Neji attempted to inform the grinning rogue ninja with whom he knew he should be trying to fight and defeat instead of chatting casually, his mind far too muddled to stay conscious any longer, as his eyelids had become unbelievably heavy, along with his dire need to try to recuperate from his practically intoxicated state while he finished his broken statement, "…poison…"

And with that, Neji's light-colored eyes closed and the Hyuuga fell limply against the Uchiha's broad chest, the avenger having to obligingly release his grip on the Anbu's wrist so he could properly catch the lax bundle in his arms.

Again, Sasuke quirked up an eyebrow at the Anbu officer that was now leaning unconsciously against him, finding the situation quite endearing that such a proud man like the Hyuuga male would use his last cognizant moments to alert him what was wrong with him before, effectively, passing out.

"Interesting…"Sasuke commented aloud to himself as he effortlessly scooped up Neji's slightly smaller frame so that he could carry him bridal style, almost immediately registering how empowered he felt as he beheld the Hyuuga's creamy, angelic face resting comfortably against his collarbone, the warmth of the long-haired shinobi's body flooding into him as Sasuke held him securely.

"_Perhaps I should have given you my name after all…Neji…"_Sasuke thought pseudo-sinisterly, recalling their first, brief encounter when they had been participating in the Chuunin exams, as he made to dash off back into the trees in the opposite direction, his highly strategic mind already laying out possible shortcuts if he continued to utilize the forest paths instead of the nearby mountain ranges in order to arrive at the appropriate inn where he knew his team would be.

X

A little while later…

"Ugh! Suigetsu…that does it!" Karin shouted heinously before throwing a violent punch at the sharp-toothed and smiling ninja in front of her, his last comment of her even existing in the female race was beginning to make him look at males a little more fondly totally pushing the chakra-sensing kunoichi over the edge.

Juugo remained sitting cross-legged by the opened balcony doors, a small, yellow bird resting on his outstretched finger as the bi-polar young man appeared to be speaking quietly to the flying creature, while Karin and Suigetsu fought loudly in the large space of the fore-room of their suite.

Upon receiving Karin's punch to his face, Suigetsu's head exploded into a huge splash of water, soaking Karin's long, purple sleeve a little as she had to steady herself from not having made any impact from her blow.

"Ha ha…"Suigetsu goaded the fiery young woman once more as the dispersing water conformed back together and made up his unmarred and smirking head that seemed to aggravate Karin all the more.

"Why you…"Karin started to voice but was instantly hushed by the low, baritone of Juugo's voice speaking to both of them.

"Sasuke's back," the orange-haired man informed his teammates serenely, merely watching as his yellow-feathered friend flittered away from his large hand.

Karin and Suigetsu quickly ceased their childish yet unresolved spat as they turned to see the raven-haired avenger gracefully leap onto the wooden railing that bordered their balcony just beyond the sliding doors, a form of some kind nestled securely in his arms as he did so.

"Sasuke! Welcome back! Dinner is almost…"Karin voiced cheerfully at the stoic Uchiha as he elegantly stepped down from the railing and entered into the wide room along with everyone else, until the red-haired woman saw exactly what Sasuke had had in his arms, "…y-you brought an Anbu black ops here?! Sasuke, they're dangerous!"

Ignoring her incessant voice that personally grated on his nerves, Sasuke carefully lowered Neji onto the floor, making sure that the back of the Hyuuga's head was comfortably placed on the solid surface before setting the rest of his long, strong form down on the smooth flooring.

"For once, I have to agree with Karin, Sasuke…"Suigetsu chimed in as he joined the raven and the red-head around their 'guest,' "…although, I must admit…he is a looker."

Sasuke snorted at Suigetsu's shameless comments, but then cast his sharp, black eyes on Karin's blushing face before he spoke to her.

"He's been poisoned. I need you to make an antidote," Sasuke ordered tersely, making her feel just how serious he was with his words alone as the female instantly snapped out of her flushed state while he held her gaze evenly with his own.

"O-oh! Right!" Karin replied back loyally to the Uchiha before looking over the fallen Anbu once more to begin her assessments of his current condition.

Sasuke scrupulously watched as Karin pulled off Neji's torn, bloodied glove that covered his entire arm and chucked it to the side before moving onto the other one, the raven admittedly observing out of his own curiosity of just what exactly the Hyuuga's body looked like underneath all those garments.

"It looks like it was just his right arm that got injured; "Karin said as mindfully ran her fingertips over some of Neji's bloodied skin and then brought her fingers to her nose, "Suigestu, bring some fresh water and a clean cloth!"

"Okie dokie," Suigetsu agreed in his own way before rising to his feet and then exiting the room to retrieve the aforementioned items, leaving Karin to sniff at Neji's blood on her fingertips to assess what was out of place, what elements were there which were not supposed to be there.

The glasses-wearing kunoichi then cautiously licked one of her fingertips, running Neji's poisoned blood inside her mouth for only a small moment before spitting the contaminated contents into a handkerchief from her pocket, now knowing exactly what she needed to do in order to save the mysterious Anbu officer before her.

"Juugo, I need for you to find some gawo herbs, echinacea extract, and root of knotwood plant. Go!" Karin barked at the patient giant, her frantic words already informing everyone else in the room that the large, ex-prisoner needed to hurry in order for Neji to have a chance at surviving.

Wordlessly, Juugo sprang up from his spot on the floor and dashed out of the suite as he leapt off of the balcony and down onto the city streets below to retrieve all the items Karin had just named to him.

"How long does he have?" Sasuke asked coolly as shifted his eyes from Neji's shallowly breathing form up to Karin's worried expression across from him as the kunoichi unclasped the fasteners on the Anbu's grey flak-vest.

"It's hard to say exactly..." Karin replied honestly as she finished unfastening Neji's vest and began pulling it off of his unconscious form, "…all I know is that I need to make this medicine as soon as possible."

Sasuke licked the roof of his mouth as he processed his teammate's words, watching with a seemingly bored expression as Karin stripped the Hyuuga of his grey vest, revealing the sleeve-less, form-fitting black shirt that lay underneath for all eyes to greedily take in.

Fishing out some bandages that were inside one of the many pockets adorning the Anbu's elite, military-style vest, Karin made short work of using a small amount to wipe away the dark red blood from Neji's pale, firm skin, before using a few, much longer strands to wrap around Neji's entire forearm, applying just enough pressure to stop the bleeding but not cut off his circulation.

"I got the water!" Suigetsu announced as he entered the room and sat down next to Sasuke who had not even spared his white-haired teammate a glance as he continued to look gravely over the Leaf shinobi's slender form, now bandaged and with people seeing to his recovery.

"Good, alright…let's take off his headband so we can put the damp cloth over his forehead," Karin instructed knowingly, wise to the fact that Neji was battling with a fever as he lay there taking in unsteady breaths.

Poking his tongue out in between his lips in concentration, Suigetsu brought his hands up to the back of Neji's head, turning it slightly to a side so he may have better access to the small knot of the two, black straps underneath his long, chocolate hair.

Sasuke kept his eyes fixed on Suigetsu's hands in the Hyuuga's long, soft hair, just waiting for any foul play from the rambunctious sword-wielder, as the latter nimbly untied the Konoha headband from Neji's head and carefully pulled it away.

"…bandages? …another injury, perhaps?" Karin said aloud, confirming everyone's initial thought upon seeing the lines of thin, white cloth that wrapped around Neji's forehead a few times before she decided that she would be the one to remove those.

Delicate fingers were timid as Karin pulled the bandages away from Neji's head as well, their circled formation fluidly giving way until it was only a single, flowing strand that the kunoichi held in her hands as all beheld the puzzling sight before them.

Sasuke could not help but be completely baffled by the sight of the strange, leaf-green symbol etched into Neji's forehead in between two, curved lines, something the Uchiha had never seen before nor knew what it was.

"Oh my God…is that a…do you think it's a…brand?" Karin asked hesitantly as she eyed Sasuke and Suigetsu in front of her who looked equally as perplexed about the matter as she did.

However, upon hearing Karin's question, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the mention of Neji being 'branded' by someone, the ominous green ink marring the Hyuuga's smooth, pale forehead already making the Uchiha consider what incredible amount of pain had to be associated in receiving something like that, what utter humiliation.

Thankfully, Suigetsu was the first one to snap back to his senses as he quickly dipped the folded, white cloth into the small pail of water he had brought, and then laid it over Neji's marked and sweating forehead to try to cool the mysterious Anbu down.

"The poor thing…"Karin commented in a small voice as she eyed Neji's injured form with a sympathetic expression, immediately catching Sasuke's attention as he turned his narrowed, cynical gaze towards her.

"Don't feel too bad for him, Karin. He's still in the Anbu black ops, so he isn't exactly helpless," Sasuke rationalized sternly, perhaps even trying to convince himself to not get too worried over the Leaf ninja who was technically his enemy.

"Just how do you know this not-so helpless Anbu, anyways, Sasuke?" Suigetsu questioned, genuinely curious as to why the cold Uchiha had even bothered bringing someone else into their vicinity that was supposed to be kept secret from anyone else…especially potential enemies that could very well have orders to capture any one of them.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, his supple lips smirking at his comrade's otherwise nosy question as he took it in stride.

"He's an old friend, "Sasuke somewhat fibbed to his teammates who looked impossibly shocked the moment the Uchiha had stopped speaking.

"…you had friends?" Suigestu asked obnoxiously but was immediately punched in the arm by Karin before he could be taken seriously.

"I have everything you requested, Karin," Juugo's towering frame suddenly appeared on the balcony, his arms full of various objects, including a small vial that everyone assumed was the plant extract that was in a liquid form, as he approached his sitting comrades and placed the items down next to the female.

"Excellent! Okay, now to get to work…" Karin said, relief evident and unbridled in her voice as she began sorting through the items, laying them out in some sort of specific order, before hurriedly standing up and padding across the room to retrieve her own set of cups and a few knives from her belongings.

"So…"Suigetsu prompted the Uchiha once more, now that they had a minute where Karin was preparing her things for the medicinal concoction, "…does this friend of yours have a name?"

Sasuke snorted at Suigetsu's extreme lack of tact when it came to the white-haired man's obvious interest in something, but he decided to humor him just the same.

"His name is Neji," Sasuke answered flatly, almost daring his sharp-toothed teammate to make some kind of snarky remark about that as well.

"Neji, eh? That's a pretty cool name, I suppose," Suigetsu chatted unperturbed with the deadly, vengeful Uchiha by his side, "…but, if it was up to me, I think I would just call him sweetheart."

Sasuke gnashed his perfect, white teeth together as Suigetsu laughed at his own comment, before the Uchiha said with pure venom in his voice, "You don't know him."

Of course, images of Neji's younger self were what flashed in front of Sasuke's mind when he had made his reply, making him remember the insufferably haughty way Neji spoke, how holier than thou he held himself, and the way he practically demanded to know Sasuke's name the first time they bumped into each other at the academy in Konoha.

"No, see, you're wrong;" Suigetsu continued to smirk almost knowingly at the Uchiha as he tilted his head towards the unconscious Hyuuga, motioning to him, before he continued, "sometimes you just know things about people…what they're really like, without ever having been told….you know?"

"Hmph," Sasuke typically replied to his comrade, his tone speaking of his disinterest to the whole matter, while, in reality, the Uchiha could not help but think a little more on what Suigetsu had just said to him about Neji.

Meanwhile, Karin had just finished chopping up a fair amount of the knotwood root which was expertly placed inside one of the cups, and then switched to the herbs that were inside another, smaller ceramic cup that needed to be ground down into a finer powder.

That task done, the grounded herbs were added in with the knotwood, and then Karin opened up the small, brown vial of the extract and dripped exactly four drops of the milky substance into the mixture as well.

"Okay, this needs to boil for a few minutes until it becomes a thick liquid, and when it cools, he needs to drink it," Karin announced to her three teammates, a bit of sweat on her brow from working so quickly and so diligently, especially upon hearing that Neji was a rare friend of Sasuke's from his past.

"Got it," Sasuke replied to Karin's information without hesitation, taking the ceramic cup from her hands and placing it down in front of him, away from all the others.

All eyes were on the bold Uchiha, everyone knowing that Sasuke was about to do something amazing, and that they did not want to miss it.

Keeping his chakra under immense control, Sasuke made the appropriate hand signs for a Fire Ball jutsu, and then carefully blew an extremely concentrated fire only on the white cup, heating it and nothing else until everyone clearly saw the brown liquid inside begin to boil over.

"Wow! It's perfect!" Karin chided in awe at her leader's impressive performance of chakra control and skill as not even the flooring around the cup had been scorched under so much intense heat.

Sasuke watched Karin stand up to retrieve the cup from the floor with her sleeves pulled over her hands protectively, before casting his dark, unreadable gaze back down on the injured Anbu.

Slowly kneeling down next to the Hyuuga, Sasuke took the cloth off of his forehead, dipped it in the pail of water beside him, wrung out the access water from the material, and then brought the damp folds to Neji's cheek.

"Neji," Sasuke said out loud, trying to rouse the Hyuuga male from his restless sleep as he swept the cold cloth over the fine contours of Neji's pale, lovely face," …Neji, you need to wake up so you can drink this."

"Huh…? Ugh…"Neji voiced groggily, barely awake as he was made to sit upright by a couple sets of hands holding onto his shoulders and back.

Suigetsu held firmly onto Neji's tired form opposite Sasuke as he watched the Uchiha free a hand from Neji's arm to take the cup from Karin's outstretched hands and carefully bring it closer to the Hyuuga's mouth.

"Neji, drink this," Sasuke spoke again to the weary, partially responsive Anbu officer within his grasp as he touched the rim of the small, white cup to Neji's lips, letting him know that there was a cup right in front of him and that he needed to obey the Uchiha without question right now.

Much to Sasuke's astonishment and shrouded delight, Neji slowly tipped his head back and parted his full, petal-soft lips expectantly for the brew, although the whole gesture seemed far more sensuous to the Uchiha than it should.

Sasuke cleared his throat before cautiously tilting the cup over in a gradual manner, letting the brown, medicinal concoction pour slowly into Neji's opened mouth while still minding exactly how he was pressing the edge of the cup against Neji's supple bottom lip in the process.

The avenger watched in unabashed interest how Neji had closed his lips and swallowed down the liquid provided him, his Adam's apple briefly bobbing up and down his throat as he did so, completely trusting the solemn Uchiha in every way as he did exactly what he was told before lowering his head again.

"Whew! It's done; that means he's going to be okay!" Suigetsu proclaimed cheerfully as he smiled at Neji and Sasuke, the Hyuuga having closed his eyes again as he leant against Sasuke who was still helping him to sit up straight.

"Yeah…" Sasuke agreed as he slipped his arms underneath Neji's smaller frame, easily hoisting him off the floor as he stood so he could move him into the adjacent room where he could give the Hyuuga some privacy and allow him proper rest, "I'm going to make him a bed. He'll be staying with us tonight. And Karin…you did good work."

Karin's mouth fell open, not at all used to hearing praise of any kind from the typically harsh and curt Uchiha, as her blush returned to her cheeks as she clasped her hands together in gratitude and said, "Thank you, Sasuke! It was no trouble at all!"

Sasuke allowed the smallest of smirks to curve his lips at his comrade's undying loyalty to him before briskly walking into the next room, Neji's lithe form in tow, as he brought him into another long room where some of them were to sleep for the night.

A few futons already made up ahead of time, Sasuke, again, respectfully laid down the long-haired shinobi amongst one set of sheets and pillows, before sitting back on his haunches as he prepared to ready his wonderfully incapacitated captive for bed.

Neji's black shoes were pulled off his feet, his black-cloth wrappings around his calves were undone and set aside and Sasuke demonstrated tremendous patience and care as he hooked his fingers along the bottom hem of Neji's tight, black shirt and lifted the garment off of the charmingly unaware Hyuuga.

Sasuke mindlessly licked his luscious lips at the sight of the perfect, slender body laid out before him, Neji only wearing his simple, black pants, while the Uchiha's hungry eyes took in and appreciated all the various lines of lean muscle that carved the Hyuuga's truly erotic form where even his various, vicious-looking scars seemed to draw him in and arouse his senses.

The Anbu's broad chest sported one, round-shaped scar in particular where it seemed that something must have passed straight through him, but Sasuke's eyes hardly stayed on one place for too long as the Uchiha could not help but appreciate the sigh of Neji's strong shoulders and thick forearms, trim waist, and sinfully flat stomach.

However, Sasuke knew that making any kind of move on the elite Leaf ninja would be highly inappropriate and, more or less, inadvisable to his current situation of travelling the countries as a rogue, wanted ninja, and the handsome avenger pseudo-calmly got to his feet so he may find a spare kimono from one of their assembled packs.

The quiet raven finally located a light grey-blue kimono from Suigetsu's things, figuring that Neji was closer to his size anyway, and brought it back to the slumbering, recuperating Hyuuga before him, Neji's attractive face turned to the side as some of his lengthy, dark-colored mane spilled across his naked chest and over his shoulders.

Using fast, efficient maneuvers, Sasuke slipped the simple kimono around Neji's creamy, trim form, the thought fleetingly occurring to him that he was dressing a beautiful, life-size doll, before, with more affection in his touches, the Uchiha brought his hands to Neji's hair and pulled out the small, elastic band at the end that kept his long locks together.

Neji's silken tresses free now, Sasuke could not help but run his hands through the thick, mocha-colored mane, relishing in the sensations of the soft strands caressing in between his fingers as he combed through the Hyuuga's hair and made it so the long strands would drape over one of his shoulders.

"Beautiful," Sasuke whispered aloud, taking in the Hyuuga's rare, non-existent defenses as the stunning Anbu rested safely on top of the futon, now in comfortable attire and with his hair better fixed for him.

Finally, Sasuke drew one of the light-weight blankets up to Neji's chest, performing the last of tucking him in, before the Uchiha settled unceremoniously onto the futon next to him, breathing deeply now that he was off of his feet at last and was about to call it another day – the events of reuniting with Neji and then almost losing him proving to be more taxing to the Uchiha than he had originally surmised.

Then, Sasuke blinked his charcoal-colored eyes over to the peaceful, powerful man lying next to him as Neji began to softly stir in his sleep as he tiredly moved to lie on his side, his back now facing the observant Uchiha.

Sasuke turned on his side as well; facing the Hyuuga's sleeping form, as he propped his head up on a bent arm, looking over Neji as he considered him seriously for a moment.

"…_sometimes you just know things about people…what they're really like, without ever having been told…"_

Sasuke recalled the enigmatic words Suigetsu had said to him earlier, words that had made the Uchiha really ponder their merit and how they translated into what Sasuke was currently feeling about Neji – like he should know more about the elusive Hyuuga male since there was obviously so much that he did not, even though he could tell without a shred of doubt that it was there.

An intangible puzzle where he could already see some of the pieces clearly; Sasuke could absolutely feel that the Neji that had been ultimately trusting him with his life ever since they had met in the forest, was the real Neji behind all of his layers of training, problems, and strife.

Gingerly, Sasuke brought a deadly, strong hand up and swept Neji's hair down his back again, letting the lengthy, silken tresses pool in the space between their bodies, as Sasuke consequently rested his hand on the Hyuuga's upturned shoulder.

The nearly silent sounds of Neji's easier breathing were soothing as they were inebriating to the handsome, skillful Uchiha as he tenderly ran his hand down Neji's upper arm until his fingers coasted smoothly over the curve of Neji's waist, trailing even softer as they went back up the same path on his body – Sasuke's eyes on Neji's profile never wavering as he performed such intimate praise of the Leaf shinobi's frame.

Sasuke's large, sword-calloused hand resting on top of Neji's shoulder again, the Uchiha involuntarily rubbed his thumb up and down the kimono-covered flesh there in a loving, repetitive gesture that he was not completely aware that he was doing, before dipping his spiky, raven head down low towards the back of the Anbu officer's head.

The avenger serenely closed his eyes, genuinely cherishing such a silent, problem-free moment as a welcomed, velvety night neared around them, as he breathed the Hyuuga's scent in deeply, able to distinguish the light aromas of mahogany and cotton as well as some kind of sweet-smelling flower that hung heavily within Neji's long, cascading hair, Sasuke finding it impossibly effortless to calm his every nerve and well-honed alertness from such a combination of scents filling his senses.

"I think it's time…"Sasuke whispered into the rich, mocha tresses that tickled his cheeks as he nosed affectionately through some of the silken locks behind Neji's ear, his breath moving the strands only slightly as he remained possessively close to the resting Hyuuga while he spoke with multiple meanings lacing his words, "…that we become properly acquainted, Neji Hyuuga."

_Author's Note_: The crazy awesome title of this story is the name of the 57th verse of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. Good stuff, people. Review it if you please, be sure to check out some of my other wacky stories, and have an outstanding day, yeah?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Pale, lavender eyes scrunched tightly before slowly opening as Neji Hyuuga naturally woke up from his sleep, the light smell of pine and fresh, early morning air filling his nostrils as he allowed more and more of his senses to come to.

After blinking a few times, Neji tiredly sat up from his lying position, the dewy atmosphere almost chilly within the plain room and the long-haired man was quickly able to assess that it had to just barely be after sunrise.

However, upon sitting up and forcing his dry throat to swallow down some spit, Neji's jaw locked in place, his eyes growing wide with shock, as he took in the sight of Sasuke Uchiha and a large, orange-haired man sleeping soundly in their own futons to his left.

The serene atmosphere that such an early hour often brings was absolutely annihilated for the Leaf ninja as he moved his eyes away from their sleeping, criminal forms, running his tongue around the inside his mouth, while his semi-fuzzy brain recollected the events of the previous day which had landed him in this very situation.

Neji licked the front of his teeth as his jumbled thoughts remembered his battle with the four, brown-dressed enemy, the pain he had felt when some shuriken had caught his arm, and these eyes…these dark, endless eyes that had held his own with such confidence, such ethereal beauty, before the Hyuuga had lost consciousness.

Neji swallowed again, realizing darkly that those piercing black eyes had been those of the notorious Uchiha whom he was now with, along with his team, he supposed.

"_I've got to get out of here,"_ Neji mentally panicked, completely ignoring that he could already feel his newly-recovered body protesting him being up and about, as the determined Hyuuga made as little sound as possible while he pushed his blanket away and silently got to his feet.

Neji's lovely eyes never left the two slumbering men's faces for any signs of disturbance while he took slow, measured footsteps towards the opened window, identifying that that had been the reason for the coolness in the room, and dared to put his hands gingerly along the panes of glass.

The Hyuuga held his breath as he now had to focus his attention on the small window that was about at eye-level with him, as he steadied his shaking hands on the frame, ready to slip outside with as much speed as he could muster.

Chancing one, last glance back to his resting captors and being satisfied when he had seen that neither man had moved in the least bit upon him maneuvering around the room, Neji gripped the wooden frame tightly and dove out of the window, landing on the awning outside soundlessly before leaping onto the roof, the long-haired shinobi completely unaware of the bright red Sharingan eyes that had snapped open.

Within mere seconds, Neji was racing across the roof of the inn, purposefully running away from the currently desolate city streets since he knew that he would be too easy to spot that way, should Sasuke and his team try to come after him.

Instead, the Hyuuga had specifically chosen to run back towards the forest, knowing that the tightly-packed trees would serve as his allies at such a time; his bare feet and partially exposed chest already feeling the biting cold from rushing against so much crisp, morning air as he jumped from the roof of the inn towards another, lower roof so he could gradually descend to the ground.

Only a couple of birds chirped from somewhere up above the Hyuuga's head as he forced his breathing to remain regular within his lungs while his keen eyes darted in all directions, quickly processing possible routes that he could take that would keep him adequately hidden until he reached the tall trees a little ways ahead.

"_There!"_ Neji internally proclaimed as he fluidly ducked into an alleyway, landing on the dusty ground in a small crouch until he straightened back up and sprinted towards the trees that were now on all sides of him, totally engulfing him in a rich, cedar aroma along with a dense fog that reached his waist on all sides.

However, despite having successfully blocked out his overall sluggishness from, no doubt, the adrenaline that had overcome him with the initial need to escape that suite at the inn, Neji could not deny that his body was simply not fully recovered from the poison, and that he was still feeling some of the residual effects.

That being said, the Hyuuga cursed his unfortunate luck underneath his breath as he slowed down his hurried running pace, now quite a ways into the forest, until he came to a stop and had to reach out a hand to steady his panting frame against a nearby tree trunk.

The long-haired shinobi's breathing was a bit haggard and painful inside his chest for the frigid air was difficult to continue breathing deeply and Neji noticed that he was shivering from the surrounding chill, especially considering that he did not have on all of his proper Anbu attire and was now only wearing his black pants and a grayish-blue kimono that reached his thighs.

Neji's thin, dark-brown eyebrows were knit together in woeful concentration as the Konoha officer tried desperately to refuse his own bodily problems and protests so he may look at the bigger picture and figure out a way how to safely contact his Anbu comrades and, hopefully, return to the village.

Lifting his free hand to his brow to merely smooth out the lines there and rub at his aching temple, Neji immediately gasped out loud and placed all of his fingers across his forehead, his eyes wide and unbelieving that he was not wearing his forehead protector as the Byakugan user could not help but be stunned silent and fearful.

Suddenly, rendering the Hyuuga even more speechless and frightened, a larger hand was harshly pressed flat against the back of his own that was still holding onto the tree at his side, his other hand seized as well and wrestled behind his back, instantly making the Hyuuga grit his teeth in discomfort as he tried to move his captured arms from the person he knew was holding him.

"Where do you think you're going…?" Sasuke asked cockily with a tilt of his head as he stood behind the Anbu officer and held fast onto both of his hands so that he had no choice but to stay in place.

Neji frowned at the Uchiha's contemptuous words, his eyes still expressing his abundant worry over his dire situation, as he turned his head away from where Sasuke was, feeling massive amounts of shame as a high-ranking Leaf shinobi piling on top of his shoulders as he ruefully swallowed the fact that he had been easily captured on the Uchiha's part and was still not completely able to fight to the best of his abilities.

"You know, Neji, you would have died if I hadn't found you…"Sasuke prompted with a bit more weight in his words as he hastily spun the Hyuuga around in his place so that they could face each other, Neji refusing to meet the raven's dark gaze while he added, "…or do you not care?"

"I…please…give me my headband," Neji began with uncertainty thick in his pleasantly raspy voice before sighing out the rest of his request as he continued to look off to a side even though he could feel Sasuke's heated stare on his face just as clearly as he could feel the raven's hands gripping either of his upper arms.

Now wise to the reason why the usually proud Hyuuga was now bowing his chocolate head in shame and not even looking him in the eye, Sasuke stilled his features for a second before smirking coolly, freeing a hand from Neji's arm and bringing it up to the Hyuuga's rounded, small chin.

Neji gasped quietly as Sasuke lifted his head with his fingers holding securely onto his chin, the Uchiha's expression surprisingly patient and understanding as the latter briefly licked his supple lips before speaking to the long-haired shinobi.

"Foolish Hyuuga…" Sasuke spoke to the distraught young man before him meaningfully, purposefully echoing someone close to his heart, as he took his fingers away from Neji's pointed chin and then lightly jabbed them against Neji's forehead.

Neji's very resolve as an elite Konoha ninja totally wavered as his porcelain features betrayed his adorable befuddlement as the Hyuuga reached up a hand and rubbed the spot on his forehead that Sasuke had just poked, mumbling a rather comical '…ow' as he did so.

"Don't you know that you have nothing to hide…not from me," Sasuke said solemnly as he watched the gorgeous Hyuuga try to put the pieces of everything that was happening together as he lowered his hand from his brow, still with his lips slightly parted and eyebrows knit, almost as if he was having trouble solving a math problem.

"Oh…well, I uh…"Neji began shyly, still keeping his eyes trained on one particular crease in Sasuke's white, high-collared shirt before the Hyuuga visibly sighed out his tension and realized that he did, in fact, owe the raven-haired, S-ranked criminal his gratitude as he finally lifted is gaze and locked it directly on the Uchiha's handsome face, "…I suppose I should thank you for saving my life, Sasuke. I realize that I would have died…if you hadn't been there."

Pleased with Neji's words of appreciation, Sasuke smirked as he cocked his head over to a side while he considered the serious Hyuuga for a moment, loving how he was finally able to look into those luminous, light-colored eyes that so greatly contrasted with his own.

"Prove it," Sasuke suddenly chimed in a cold, no-nonsense tone which instantly made Neji confused all over again.

"Prove…what?" Neji asked as he unconsciously took a small step away from the broader, stronger Uchiha, suddenly extremely mindful of their proximity now that Sasuke was speaking to him with unreadable ice in his words that made the Hyuuga feel chills.

"Prove to me…just how grateful you really are that I saved your life, Neji," Sasuke clarified darkly but just as serenely, his words sounding like an illegal business proposition and the Leaf ninja's face transitioned smoothly back into apprehensive melancholy.

"W-what?! " Neji choked out despite his head-splitting bewilderment of everything that had been and was still transpiring between the both of them as he took another, bigger step away from the black-and-white-clad Sasuke, "…what nonsense are you saying? I don't even know what you…"

"Relax, Hyuuga;" Sasuke cut Neji's racing, defensive words off sternly as he held up a hand and bore his steady, charcoal gaze into Neji's dread-filled eyes, "all I am suggesting is that you stay with me and my team for a little while. We won't be leaving again until a few days. Besides, your injuries are not even completely healed, so it might even do you some good to say in one place."

Neji frowned at Sasuke's reasonable logic as he dropped their gaze to look off somewhere in the forest as he ran the Uchiha's words over again inside his head, finding no catches, no drawbacks, no tricks, just plain, simple sense that his idea made to him.

Neji sighed before pressing his lips together in deep concentration, his impeccably strategic thought processes swiftly surmising that Sasuke Uchiha, a wanted criminal from Konoha, was standing right in front of him with his guard completely down. The Hyuuga had lost count of how many times the Uzumaki and his team had gone after the man and had come back empty-handed, but now here Sasuke was, requesting that Neji stay with him for a while.

His instincts told him that, by referring to the indisputable fact that the Uchiha had had a hand in saving his life the previous day, he should trust him and go along with his wishes.

Neji's long years of intense training as a shinobi, as a member of an aristocratic family, as an Anbu black ops officer, told him that he needed to fight Sasuke for the wrong-doer that he was; fight for the sake of Konoha.

Neji swallowed down the lump in his throat before softly nodding his head at the Uchiha, seemingly agreeing to his terms without question as he took a step towards him so that it would appear that he was ready to go back to the inn with the slowly smirking raven.

"Gentle Fist!" Neji abruptly called out before thrusting out his outstretched palm directly at Sasuke's abdomen, his light-blue chakra appearing like smoke wafting off of his hands as the long-haired Anbu had obviously chosen to try to defeat Sasuke despite his debilitating condition.

"Damn…"Sasuke growled as he had to hurriedly twist his body away from the Hyuuga's deadly hands, knowing full well that should he take even one of those Gentle Fist blows, his internal organs would be targeted and his chakra totally depleted.

Another palm came speeding towards the evading Sharingan user, Neji's long, untamed hair swirling along with his maneuvering body as the Hyuuga dove again at Sasuke who raised both of his fists so he may use his strong forearms to knock the blow away and take the offensive.

The counter-block to his wrist propelled Neji forward a bit as Sasuke obviously tried to get behind him, but the Hyuuga had silently activated his Byakugan, and could see the stone-faced Uchiha clearly within his line of sight, so he ducked down low to sweep his leg out.

Sasuke easily leapt away from the attack that would have taken his legs out from under him; the pale-eyed young man utilizing the fact that his bare feet were on slick, soft grass to make his moves faster, sharper, as Neji quickly recovered from not making contact as he leaned his weight back heavily on the ground.

"Haah!" Neji voiced strongly as he used his palms and feet on the ground to suddenly launch himself at Sasuke with expert speed and knowing precision, his body seeming to slowly twist whilst in the air as he threw his leg out and kept one of his chakra-enhanced fists outstretched to receive the Uchiha along with his kick.

Sharingan activated, Sasuke smirked at Neji's classic flying kick, chocolate brown locks curling and flowing away from the Hyuuga's slender back in an almost artistic manner, before the battle-hardened Uchiha coolly licked the front of his teeth before suddenly disappearing from view.

Utilizing his x-ray vision, Neji grunted low in his throat as he could see the Uchiha maneuvering quickly to his side just as he was about land back on the ground from his failed kicked, but could not react fast enough to avoid being caught by the spiky-haired raven who easily tackled him down onto the ground on his stomach.

"Ugh!"Neji groaned in pain through grit teeth, Sasuke's larger frame practically crushing his own as the Uchiha led his eyes fade to his natural black before seizing both of the Anbu's wrists and pinning them to the mossy forest floor above his head.

Neji's body shuddered from the pain of having his injured arm handled so roughly, but found that he could not make himself stop shivering on account of how utterly frigid he was being pressed against the dewy grass and still able to feel the cool air nipping at his cheeks and flesh.

Sasuke had been a second away from making a snarky comment about Neji's fighting not being all that bad for someone who still had poison working inside his body, but quickly shoved the idea away as the quiet, collected Uchiha observed something crucial about his lovely prey as he continued to straddle his lower back.

"You're trembling," Sasuke said simply, asking without actually doing so of if Neji was really that frightened of him.

"I'm…f-freezing…"Neji murmured honestly, prompting Sasuke to slowly remove his gripping hand from the backs of Neji's wrists as he carefully got to his feet, knowing that the shivering Hyuuga would not try to fight him again.

Further proving his assumption correct, Sasuke reached down towards the long-haired but still not well ninja, and effortlessly picked him up from the chilly ground, now noticing just how icy Neji's smooth skin was as he ran his hands up the Hyuuga's arms and back down again, the Uchiha also tediously aware of the fact that Neji was not trying to push him away or cease his touches.

Sighing quietly out of his nose, Sasuke placed his hands on each of the Anbu officer's narrow hips before hoisting him up and then wrapping his long, well-muscled arms around Neji's back, the Hyuuga naturally circling his legs around Sasuke's waist so he would be an easier carry.

Just as Sasuke was about to make his first dash through the trees to head back the way he came, the stoic Uchiha hesitated as he felt Neji tiredly lay down his head on top of his shoulder as he placed both of his hands on either of the raven's thick biceps for support, the Hyuuga obviously feeling much more ill than he had previously let on.

"Let's get you back and warm," Sasuke said to the shivering bundle in his arms with unpredictable tenderness before finally executing his initial wishes and racing back to the inn where he knew the others would have loads of questions for him.

A few minutes later, Sasuke arrived back at his team's suite, the fatigued and generally downtrodden Hyuuga holding him securely as he had not moved his head from that spot on Sasuke's broad shoulder, and the Uchiha was relieved to learn that most of his teammates were still sleeping during this early morning hour.

Sasuke spotted Juugo by the balcony again as he walked nonchalantly passed him and into the far bathroom, one green bird and one blue bird perched merrily inside of his huge, extended palm, as the kind-eyed giant watched them with a certain fondness that the Uchiha knew he would never completely understand about the bi-polar man.

"Neji, I'm going to run you a bath," Sasuke informed the long-haired ninja as he carefully slid his hands down Neji's thighs, prompting the latter to remove them from around his waist so he could stand up on his own while the raven turned towards the tub.

Neji blinked his heavy-feeling eyes at the small but adequately-sized bathroom he was now in, finding the neutral beige color of the walls, white trim, and wooden floors rather comforting and homely before he turned his gaze back to the raven-haired man's back.

"I'd rather have a shower," Neji said in his pleasant, raspy voice as he watched the Sharingan user calmly straighten his spine from bending over the tub and turn to face him as well.

"If you'd rather shower, then I'm showering with you," Sasuke replied stone-cold seriously to the slightly unsteady Hyuuga who looked as if he might collapse any given moment from, Sasuke knew, overexerting his weakened body when he should have been resting all this time…not challenging him and trying to escape.

"Fine, whatever; I don't care," Neji replied with a sleepy roll of his eyes, his voice lightly exasperated with the Uchiha's consequences that did not particularly upset his mindless, worn-out state.

Sasuke almost smiled at Neji's delightful indifference to the idea of them showering together, as he quirked up a light-hearted eyebrow of the Hyuuga bringing his hands to the folds of his kimono and shamelessly pulling the fabric off of his pale shoulders and down his lean, trim arms.

Sasuke wet the inside of his mouth, a smile practically pleading to be set on the Uchiha's stony, beautiful face, as he instead leaned back over the large, silver knobs above the tub and turned on the shower for them both.

As soon as Sasuke looked back to his Konoha captive, Neji was already walking the few, remaining feet passed him, close enough that the raven's clothed body and the mocha-haired boy's naked body touched longingly, as Neji stepped into the shower ahead of him and closed his eyes underneath the soothing, hot spray of water.

"Not exactly shy, are you…?"Sasuke joked in spite of himself as he slowly began removing his own clothes, unzipping his high-collared shirt before stripping it and his baggy, black pants off of his rougher, larger frame, his onyx eyes still glued onto Neji's exposed, stretching form that was now getting soaked from the raining water.

Sasuke smiled softly at how Neji was too caught up in enjoying the hot water warming up his previously cooled flesh to respond to his cheeky statement, as the Uchiha carefully stepped into the shower behind the Hyuuga, thoroughly taking in the sinfully arousing view before him as he did.

His slender hands combing through his wetted down locks of chocolate hair that contrasted enticingly so with the fine, carved-out-of-heaven flesh that sculpt Neji's firm, taut body, Sasuke groaned softly at the extraordinary, unforgivable sight before him as his eyes trailed lower and lower until they rested on the Hyuuga's perfect, supple ass and lean thighs.

Unable to stop himself, as his recurring thoughts that warned him about how pursuing the Hyuuga Anbu was anything but wise were quite fleeting, Sasuke stepped forward and instantly felt Neji's alluring frame melt against his own; the Leaf ninja dropping his hands down to his sides as he breathed through his mouth and let Sasuke's wide, chiseled chest cradle his shoulder blades.

Damp, raven locks of hair hung heavily around Sasuke's strong features as he watched keenly as Neji turned his head to a side to further enjoy the Uchiha's solid form behind his own, providing support and comfort, as the avenger carefully brought his hands around to Neji's trim, smooth stomach.

Like a man inebriated in his own thoughts, his own whims, the Sharingan user used only his calloused fingertips to trail teasingly up the Hyuuga's flexing abdomen, involuntarily making the responsive Anbu press his back even harder against Sasuke's powerful frame.

Sasuke caught his bottom lip in between his immaculate, white teeth, finding such a bittersweet moment of Neji's flawless body adhering to his own, digging his ass unknowingly against the younger man's groin, as serving as pure, jagged torture that felt absolutely amazing.

His earlier discomfort long forgotten now that he had been soaking in steaming hot water for a little while now, his drowsiness seeming to leave him while a certain peace and tranquility instead took its place, Neji felt at harmony with himself, his situation, and all the people involved in it, as his mind was pleasantly empty for perhaps the first time in his life.

Not having to think of strategies for teams, execute maneuvers, engage in fighting, of survive impossible outcomes, the Hyuuga relished in the fact that all he had to do at this serene, quiet moment was feel – feel Sasuke's impressive body behind his own, feel his hands become heavier upon his own skin as they explored, feel every kind of intrinsic good course through him as a result.

"Sasuke…"Neji purred thoughtlessly, merely needing to voice the forbidden name as he slowly reached his hands up before he could comb his fingers back through short, raven-colored bangs, sliding his hands easily into the drenched locks of silken hair as he pushed them out of the Uchiha's equally dark eyes and away from his astoundingly attractive face.

Sasuke, in turn, could feel his barriers falling, the sheer, raw sensuality that the Hyuuga male seemed to effortlessly exemplify having almost wholly crumbled his every defensive nature, as the avenger had savored exactly how Neji had cooed his name before reaching back to play with his wet hair, the Anbu giving the criminal a truly mind-breaking view of his partially arching body as he did so.

The raven slid his hands to either of Neji's sides before trailing them up his ribs, wickedly delighted when he heard the Hyuuga's breath stutter as a result, before continuing upwards over his outstretched arms until his own hands located Neji's fingers and intertwined them together.

Neji hummed low in his throat as he turned his head to the other side against Sasuke's chest, cotton-soft pleasure flittering across his senses, as he felt the sultry Uchiha mindfully usher his hands down with his own as Sasuke also lowered his face down to one of Neji's slick, pallid shoulders.

Letting his warm breath ghost over Neji's flesh for a moment, Sasuke leisurely brushed his luscious lips across the porcelain skin there, enjoying how the simplest of touches were making the Hyuuga's lips part even more as he took in shaky breaths, before slowly bringing out his pink tongue to gently run across the soft, intoxicating skin, tasting him gently.

Neji gasped upon feeling Sasuke's warm, velvety tongue on the junction between his neck and shoulder, the simple, single act in itself acting like some sort of official signal to them both that everything they had known up until now, all of their hard-earned knowledge and learnt rules, no longer applied.

Sasuke opened his mouth a bit wider as the avenger sensually closed his teeth around the slippery patch of skin, lightly biting Neji's shoulder as he sucked on the warm skin, simultaneously freeing his dripping fingers from the Hyuuga's hands but only so he could run his fingertips up and down Neji's palms.

The Byakugan user groaned in approval as he craned his neck slightly over to the opposite side, allowing Sasuke more access to his sensitive flesh while also showing him just how much he liked what the Uchiha was doing, as his hands tingled from the raven tickling his palms, the mixture of slow pleasure and teasing gestures all but making the elite Leaf ninja shudder uncontrollably and demand rougher treatment.

Smoothly closing his fingers around Neji's wrists, Sasuke wrapped their joined arms around the Hyuuga, the Uchiha purposefully holding him in a tight embrace, as the raven released Neji's flesh from his teeth so he may lick heavily around the worried area before turning his face more towards the side of the Anbu's long, graceful neck.

"Sasuke, w-wait…"Neji breathed, his stricter senses starting to come back to him, fighting against everything he was positively losing himself in at the moment, as he felt the bold Uchiha press his moist lips against his neck, having to nuzzle through some of his long, mocha-brown hair in the process as the Hyuuga remained trapped inside the avenger's arms around his own.

The more Neji realized that he loved everything Sasuke was doing to him, the careful touches and surprisingly soft kisses as the Uchiha worshipped his skin with even the tiniest of ministrations, the more Neji was prompted to end it, his guarded instincts flooding back to him in toppling waves the more he felt Sasuke getting comfortable around him.

"Sasuke, let go of me. I…we have to hurry before the water gets cold," Neji said with moment-shattering gravel in his voice as he forced himself out of Sasuke's strong, tattooed arms as the Hyuuga hastily grabbed a small, cream-colored bottle of shampoo from the shallow ledge in front of him and squeezed some of its shiny, white contents into his hand.

Purposefully keeping his eyes straight and forward, Neji obligingly turned around in his spot and unceremoniously squirted some of the shampoo on top of Sasuke's head as well, the entire act insufferably stubborn as well as impossibly adorable to the Uchiha as he watched the Hyuuga almost punish him with putting the gel in his hair for him.

Setting down the courtesy inn shampoo, Neji faced forward once again as he furiously scrubbed the gel against his scalp, creating a dense, bubbly lather that he hurriedly worked down his long, chocolate locks of hair, obviously ignoring the Uchiha in every sense of the word as he went about his business and assumed Sasuke was as well.

Sasuke had never seen someone rush through bathing quite like the Hyuuga was now, as he quirked up an inquisitive eyebrow at the Anbu who was already occupied with gathering a large mass of regular soap into his hands so he could wash the rest of his body, as the Uchiha took his time shampooing his black hair.

Sasuke knew the reason why Neji was hurrying his bathing tasks in the manner he was, however, and the fact did sting the stoic avenger as he considered calmly how the Hyuuga might be wholly regretting how close they had gotten before, how frightened he may have become because he really was afraid of the raven, or how nervous he had been due to the fact that he had wanted it as well.

The last option made Sasuke smirk as he watched Neji practically break a record in showering speed as he rinsed his soapy body and long tresses under the spray of water and then promptly bolted out of the tub.

Sasuke took a step forward now that he had the shower to himself, letting the fast-running streams of warm water rinse away his shampoo, as he turned his amused expression towards the elite Anbu who had a large, green towel wrapped around his waist and another one on top of his head as he hastily dried his hair.

"I always thought you'd be kinder to your hair, Neji," Sasuke prodded playfully, still a bit perturbed that the lovely Hyuuga was now acting like he had some sort of flesh-eating disease when they had been so painfully close and intimate just moments ago, as the raven began soaping his own strong, broad body.

"Oh…yeah…"Neji replied lamely as he finished towel drying his hair before draping the item across the appropriate metal rack, the other, bigger towel kept around his waist he all but bustled out of the small bathroom, pure nervousness having laced his few words to the observing Uchiha who immediately traced back to his cognizant list of reasons why Neji was behaving like this.

"Hmph…"Sasuke snorted with a smirk as he focused back on his own shower, his thoughts still on the enigmatic, enthralling Hyuuga, however, as his genius mind put two and two together about what had just happened between them, "…if his nerves are they only thing holding him back…I'll just have to remedy that."

Pleased with his line of reasoning, his previous self-proclaimed warnings about being with the long-haired ninja all but a distant memory to him now, Sasuke finished his shower no longer feeling agitated about what had transpired between them and the undeniable effects of steep, burning want that it all had rooted firmly within him, for now the Uchiha realized that he had needed this particular clue to know how to better go about pursuing such a untouchable, proud creature that practically begged to be broken by his own hands.

X

Meanwhile, Suigetsu had been the first one to intercept Neji when he had walked out of the bathroom and into the long, simple room where he had slept last night; the futons already put away for now all the other members were awake and about; as the sharp-toothed young man greeted the Hyuuga kindly.

"Hey there! You're Neji, right?" the white-haired man spoke casually as he flashed Neji his wide, razor-sharp smile, seemingly oblivious or uncaring to the fact that the Hyuuga was already made alert and on his guard due to his friendly advances.

"Yes," Neji replied back curtly, still eyeing the purple-and-grey-clad ninja with slightly narrowed eyes and a defensive set of his feet as he waited for the young man to get to his point.

"I'm Suigetsu. If you see this dog-faced woman around, that's Karin. The big guy over there is Juugo," Suigetsu offered merrily, pointing a finger over at the large, orange-haired man who was watching them disinterestedly from across the room, his huge arms folded over his chest.

Neji had looked over to Juugo upon hearing Suigetsu introduce him, but snapped his eyes back on the white-haired man's smiling face upon realizing that he may as well utilize this man's initial friendliness.

"Suigetsu, could I possibly borrow some clothes, or do you have my Anbu gear?" Neji asked seriously, getting straight to the point as he realized mentally that he needed as least that much in order to feel a bit more grounded in his current, awkward situation of being with such a group.

"Hmm, let's see," the sharp-toothed man seemed to have to remember a few things before answering Neji's question, "…I know we had to toss your sleeve-things out because they were totally shredded and bloody, but…oh, yeah! I remember where we put your shirt and stuff! I'll be right back."

Neji blinked as Suigetsu strolled out of the room, his smile appearing to never leave his youthful face, as he went to retrieve the Hyuuga's outfit for him, Juugo staying as still as a piece of furniture behind him.

Just when the Hyuuga was about to chance another look at the silent, orange-haired man out of pure curiosity, he heard the door to the bathroom open, followed quickly by Sasuke walking into the room, a small towel hanging around his bared neck as the Uchiha only sported his loose-fitting black pants, the tauntingly erotic sight instantly making the long-haired Anbu blush hotly.

Sasuke smirked at Neji's blush before the Byakugan user averted his eyes, still able to cleanly catch his own straight-legged black pants that the Uchiha had chucked at him before smoothly exiting that room and entering into the next one over.

With lightening fast movements, Neji stepped into his Anbu pants and pulled them up his long, taut legs, letting the towel around his waist plummet to the floor as he fastened the familiar fabric together, immediately feeling some sort of connection to something he knew which, ultimately, made the Hyuuga begin to feel a little more at ease.

"Neji, I found your shirt and I also have this for you if you want it!" came a pleasantly upbeat, charismatic voice as Suigetsu appeared before him again, his bared arms full of a few garments for the Hyuuga.

"Thank you, Suigetsu," Neji said with a charming, informal smirk at the grinning, white-haired man as he first took his sleeveless, black shirt from the latter and slipped in on over his head and down his chest and abdomen, the fabric fitting to him like a second skin as the article clearly highlighted his slender form and shape.

"Not a problem, sweetheart," Suigetsu replied sweetly with a playful wink at the Leaf ninja as he also held out another garment, this one larger and white in color.

"What is this?" Neji asked politely, choosing to shake off the fact that Suigetsu had called him 'sweetheart,' as he took the soft but durable, white fabric from the sharp-toothed man's outstretched hands.

"It's one of Sasuke's old shirts," Suigetsu explained nonchalantly as he merely watched Neji running his hands over the folds of the waist-length yukata, "…he said you could have it if you wanted it."

"That's very kind," Neji replied a bit distantly before making up his mind and drawing the long, white garment over his shoulders so he could slip his arms through the wide sleeves and pull the folds tightly around his body, tying them simply at the sides versus using an obi.

"Wow, you look great!" Suigetsu chimed positively, flashing another one of his bright, toothy smiles at the Hyuuga as the latter smoothed out the wrinkles in the fabric and straightened his long sleeves, looking down at his own black-and-white-clad form.

"Will you leave him alone, already?!" came a booming, feminine voice from the doorway, quickly prompting everyone in the room to jerk their attention that way as Karin adjusted her glasses before entering, "…he's been through enough; he doesn't need you pestering him, Suigetsu."

"You're the pest, Karin;" Suigetsu shot back defensively as the red-haired woman joined them, eyeing Neji a bit too long to be considered innocent, before the white-haired man snapped again, "We were perfectly fine until you showed up. You're probably scaring him with that ugly face of yours."

"That does it!" Karin bellowed loudly, not for the first time proclaiming such a statement of finality, as she balled up her fists and advanced towards Suigetsu's uncaring form.

"Excuse me, Karin, is it?" Neji spoke in his effortlessly pleasant voice that seemed to tame the wild beast as Karin immediately stopped walking towards Suigetsu and instead fixed her wide, awestruck stare on the patient, knowing Hyuuga.

"Y-yes, it is! I'm flattered you know my name, Neji," Karin flushed as she batted her eyes a bit at the striking, long-haired young man before her.

Neji softened his hauntingly beautiful eyes at the stammering woman, knowing that he had just prevented another Great Ninja War by interceding her and Suigetsu's fight, as he purposefully distracted the love-struck female with simple charm and a task that did need to get done.

"Forgive me for imposing, but I was wondering if you could help me with my hair, Karin," Neji practically made love to the words as he spoke them to the flabbergasted female who looked like she had just been given a gift from God as her face burned an embarrassing scarlet color.

"O-oh…! Of course, Neji! I would…I would be happy to do that for you," Karin practically gushed at the elite Leaf shinobi's idea, possibly due in large part that, since she was constantly surrounded by three, short-tempered men, she was never able to really pamper anyone or see to such needs as taking care of their hair.

Neji sat down on the floor, already bringing all of his damp, mocha locks to lie flat down his back, as he somewhat heard Suigetsu say 'thank God that's over…' before moving out of the room, Karin quickly rushing back in with a few items in her hands that she knew she would need.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Karin. I really appreciate it," Neji confessed earnestly as he felt the fiery but tamable woman settle on the floor behind him and set down some of her items next to her.

Karin smiled as she brought up her large, silver hairbrush to Neji's head and carefully ran the bristles down the lengthy mane that touched the floor, finding herself favoring the respectful, polite Anbu more and more with each passing second as he showed her nothing but kindness and consideration, virtues that were particularly hard to come by those days.

"It was really no trouble at all, Neji. I'm just glad you're okay," Karin replied with sugar in her words as she tended to the Hyuuga's thick, soft hair, brushing the moist locks straight and away from his face before doing anything else.

Neji allowed himself to fully relax as his hair was fixed for him, his eyes slipping closed in utter relaxation, as he heard Karin set aside her hairbrush before reaching back into his hair, gathering the strands at the base of his neck before braiding his hair all the way down his back.

The notion of his long hair being braided did not bother the Hyuuga in the least as he felt Karin secure the ends of his hair with a small, elastic band of her own before the red-haired young lady took his braid and draped it over one of his shoulders so that he may see it.

"There. I'm finished. Do you like it, Neji?" Karin asked with a smile at the Leaf ninja who ran his fingers over the soft texture of his braided hair that felt like silk made solid before answering.

"I like it," Neji replied honestly before standing up on his feet, turning towards the glasses-wearing kunoichi, and offering his hand to help her up as well, his disciplined upbringing in the Hyuuga household still guiding his every action even in the face of one of his potential enemies.

"Oh!" Karin blundered for a moment before placing her hand inside the Hyuuga's palm which lifted her courteously to her feet before letting go, Karin's face relentlessly pink as she cast her panicked eyes to the floor as they were still standing fairly close to one another.

"What's going on in here?" a low, baritone cut through the air flatly, prompting Karin and Neji to snap their gazes towards the doorway where the avenging Uchiha leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

"Karin braided my hair for me," Neji answered truthfully, the transaction between him and the female having not been such an outstanding, scandalous moment that Karin was obviously taking it to be.

"I see…"Sasuke commented icily before uncrossing his arms and pushing his weight off of the doorframe so he may stride into the space, Karin's wide eyes darting from Hyuuga to Uchiha as her fragile, female mind could not settle on which one she thought was better looking, even if by a little, as she dared not utter a word.

"Come with me," the raven said curtly to Neji as he seized one of his wrists in a no-nonsense grip and pulled him away from Karin and out of the room, not even allowing the Hyuuga a chance to express any words of gratitude or closure to the red-haired woman as he was made to abruptly leave her sight.

Having sent Juugo and Suigetsu on a small errand to fetch supplies, and ready to finally murder the lone kunoichi of his group, Sasuke lead Neji to a separate, smaller room of their suite and practically slammed the sliding doors shut behind him.

Neji would have stumbled into the room due to the brute force with which the Uchiha had used to shove him inside, but the Hyuuga's unparallel stability as a first-class fighter enabled him to keep his balance as he attempted to turn around his spot to face the noticeably fuming avenger.

"What…the hell…"Neji only managed to say before the Uchiha's solid, stern words hushed him in an instant.

"Do you like her?" Sasuke asked simply, his words not allowing for any argument or rebuttal as he posed them to the slightly bemused Hyuuga.

"What are you talking about, Sasuke?" Neji answered his question with one of his own, narrowing his light-colored eyes at the glaring raven as if he was trying to speak with a child.

"Do you like her; Karin…?"Sasuke asked frigidly again, not budging an inch on his strict, frosty questions to the Hyuuga whose features were beginning to smooth out as he pieced together his honest answer.

"I…think she's okay," Neji answered, his puzzlement over the Uchiha's sudden fury still evident in his voice as he continued speaking, "...I was acting nice to her because she was about to kill Suigetsu, and then she braided my hair for me. It really wasn't…a big deal…?"

Despite having briefly fought in hand-to-hand combat with the avenger, Neji could not help but feel a little intimidated with how heated and focused Sasuke's glare seemed to be at solely him, almost as if he was silently furious at him for reasons unknown, before the Hyuuga dared to pose another question of his own to him.

"Why…are you even asking me about something like that in the first place…?" Neji asked, increasingly feeling the urge to put some distance between them as he spoke his words in a small, unsure voice.

Sasuke licked his lips as he finally lowered his intense gaze in thought, the Uchiha pondering quickly on how to put his rather personal, straightforward reasons into an answer the Hyuuga would accept.

"You're beautiful…"Sasuke began in such a tone that sounded like Neji should have already known as much, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, before adding seriously, "…and it…bothers me…when other people look at you the same way I do."

"What way is that, Sasuke?" Neji asked before really thinking about it, his heart beating at an uncomfortably rapid pace inside his chest as he felt himself tapping into something meaningful, something forbidden and beautiful and real, deep within the incomprehensible Uchiha before him and the thought alone was enough to make him say things before truly considering the consequences.

Sasuke snorted softly as he curved his lips up into his classic smirk, his gaze becoming slightly narrowed and unpredictably passionate as soon as he opened his eyes from his thoughtful blink, before said raven began taking slow, measured steps towards the Hyuuga trapped by his features and waiting for his reply.

"…like…they want to possess you…"Sasuke purred seductively as he closed the distance in between them, the Hyuuga's initial upset and defensive nature having dropped completely the more their heart-felt conversation had went on as Neji mindlessly welcomed the Uchiha into his personal space while he continued to peer into smoldering, onyx eyes, "…like they want you and nothing else."

Neji gulped down the lump that had formed in his throat, letting the Uchiha's words soothe over his very skin and soul, as the Anbu also quickly surmising that, according to Sasuke, that was exactly how he felt about him as well, and the Hyuuga was barely cognizant of the fact that Sasuke was now standing directly in front of him, looking fondly over his speechless, exquisite features.

"Sasuke, I…mmph…!"Neji began a bit sheepishly but was instantly silenced as Sasuke crushed their lips together, the raw, blinding need behind the force he had used to kiss the Hyuuga immediately melting whatever had been left of his reservations, his concerns as the Anbu easily reciprocated the lustful kiss that had come at last.

The Uchiha felt as if a tangible weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, reprieved from his very, tainted existence, as he felt the Hyuuga's soft, supple lips move confidently but lingeringly over his own, sending him mind-warping tingles of cloud-like sensations to wash over him, cleansing him of harsh reality, and replacing it with something wonderful, something divine.

Sasuke and Neji naturally parted their lips to breathe; their warm breath mixing sensually in between them, before both men simultaneously tilted their heads in opposite directions so they may have better access to the other man's lips, the other man's everything, as they kept their eyes closed and wholly gave into just feeling the other's skin against their own.

Abruptly overcome with the imperative need to touch Neji more, feel more of his heavenly body along with his soul to adhere to his own, Sasuke lifted his deadly hands up to gently slide across the Hyuuga's pale, smooth cheeks until he could effectively cradle the long-haired young man's face against his palms.

Using his leverage on the almost painfully willing Hyuuga, the avenger stroked his calloused thumbs across Neji's high cheekbones in a loving, appreciative gesture as he carefully parted Neji's lips with his own and slowly eased his tongue inside his mouth.

Much to his accumulating approval, Sasuke felt Neji place his hands on either of his shoulders, giving his rugged flesh a slight squeeze in encouragement, as the Hyuuga obligingly met Sasuke's tongue with his own, giving the highly-receptive muscle a slight flick before making a long, slow sweep against the warm, moist texture that instantly made the Uchiha shiver.

Their kisses becoming exponentially more heated, Sasuke and Neji swirled their sensitive tongues together, each thoroughly enjoying the simmering pleasure that was wrapping around their genius minds, as Sasuke could not help but lean Neji backwards a little bit to show his dominance, his pressing desire for none other than the Hyuuga inside his embrace as he kissed him forcefully, passionately.

Neji hummed low in his throat, loving exactly how Sasuke's fingers were buried in his hair above the braid, as the Uchiha tasted every corner of his mouth as if it was his sole purpose on this planet, every, subtle stroke of his tongue and puff of air from his lips serving to drive the Hyuuga absolutely mad as he clung to the raven's shoulders and shuddered in unfathomable lust; the thought vaguely occurring to the Leaf ninja that he did not want this seemingly time-defying moment to end for them.

That thought in mind, the long-haired shinobi hurriedly broke off their wanton kiss with a gasp for air escaping him, before the Hyuuga fluidly brought his hands to Sasuke's short, raven spikes and gripped hard, all of his building sensations and hints at unbelievable pleasure desperately trying to overwhelm the Anbu, as he used his hold in the Uchiha's soft hair to guide his head in the other direction before attacking his mouth once again.

Sasuke had growled in white-hot ecstasy the moment Neji had pulled his hair, his charcoal eyes having barely made in open in time to see the Hyuuga's nearly savage expression, before their lips were smashed together once again, their tongues not hesitant in the least of joining back together to try to wring out as many needy huffs and noises from the other as possible.

After only another moment of their intense battle for dominance, the skillful maneuvers of lips and tongues and teeth serving as a cruel taunt of their sex as their kisses only made them ultimately want more from the other, Neji, however, slowly slid his fingers out of Sasuke's midnight-colored hair until he could rest them on the back of his neck while he lingeringly separated their tingling, yearns lips.

"S-Sasuke…" Neji said a bit weakly, feeling his resolve to say what he knew he needed to say trying to diminish within him as the aforementioned avenger only used their separation so he could nip teasingly at Nejis's enticing lips, "…hold on, there's…we'll…we'll continue this later, I promise, Sasuke."

Sasuke placed one, last nip to the corner of Neji's mouth, the Hyuuga's hands having comfortably moved down from his neck to the tops of his shoulders as they looked pleasantly upon one another as they finished catching their breath, both still internally refusing to fully acknowledge the real world around them as they could still feel the other's lips and breath against their own flesh.

"What's the matter?" Sasuke asked curiously, not even a trace of harshness present in his low, quiet voice, as he observed the Hyuuga's angelic features and relished in their close proximity where he could feel Neji's kind warmth and slender body pressed up against his own, as if he had always been meant to be in that position with the Uchiha.

"Oh, well…because I haven't really eaten anything since early yesterday, I'm kind of…starving," Neji admitted bashfully, feeling his stomach rumble disturbingly at the mere prospect of food since what he had said had been absolutely true.

As much as the disciplined, decorated Anbu officer had positively adored kissing and being kissed by the elusive Uchiha, Neji knew that he had certain limits; coupled with the situation of him still recovering from his previous poisoning, the Hyuuga needed to eat no matter how much he did want to move from his spot.

Amused, Sasuke smirked at Neji's common problem, immediately favoring the idea of sharing a meal with him and, perhaps, getting to know him better, as the Uchiha honestly did have a few questions for the Hyuuga to answer and he was not at all opposed to the idea of having the elite Leaf ninja start to trust him implicitly with his needs.

No one had ever accused Sasuke of being a selfless man, for the handsome avenger had meant every word that he had told the Hyuuga when he had proclaimed that he wanted to possess him, have Neji only look at him the same way he did him, and that he only wanted the rare, noble beauty that was Neji Hyuuga.

More than a conquest bred of simple infatuation, Sasuke had long realized that there was evident, common ground between himself and the Hyuuga, things that only one man could possibly understand about the other, and the raven-haired ninja could also not deny his tedious, mounting longing for Neji to succumb to him completely, not out of coercion but out of the wonderful simplicity that they wanted each other, belonged with each other.

"Then, I suggest we go into town and get some breakfast," Sasuke offered sincerely to the Byakugan user in his arms, enchanted straight away when he saw Neji smile warmly at him and his idea.

"Thank you; that…sounds like an excellent idea," Neji replied sweetly, genuinely as he retracted his hands from Sasuke's shoulders and licked his semi-swollen lips while taking a polite step away from the Uchiha, allowing him some space so he may take the lead and show the Anbu where to go from their place at the inn.

Sasuke smirked affectionately at the endearing sight before him, the Hyuuga radiant and charming in his eyes as the Anbu officer respectfully awaited Sasuke's first move towards their destination as the raven had obviously pleased Neji greatly by offering for them to go out straight away to get whatever food the Hyuuga desired for them both to eat up on the balcony over the city.

_Author's Note_: Okay. All the ideas I've had on how to ultimately end this story…they're all effing depressing as hell. I am now officially open to ideas for how you would like to see this story end after a few more chapters of Sasu and Nej getting closer and whatever. POST 'EM WITH YOUR REVIEWS!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

A little while later that day…

"How is everything?" Sasuke asked casually as he looked over at his companion who had just taken another bite of his onigiri and nodded positively as a prelude to his spoken answer.

"Everything has been excellent. Thank you again for doing all this for me, Sasuke," Neji answered as he reached forward for his cup of steaming, green tea to take another few, calming sips of the brew to wash down his rice.

"I didn't just do it for you, you know; I also have to eat from time to time," Sasuke jabbed in his pseudo-scolding but joking manner as he crushed up the plastic wrapping that had come around one of his many, purchased food items for himself and the Hyuuga.

Neji raised his eyebrows and slightly tilted his head as he continued to sip from his grass-green-colored cup that held his tea, almost as if silently replying 'touché' to the quick-witted Uchiha as they sat peacefully on the small, wooden-plank balcony that peered over the busy, quaint town and allowed for a most gracious view of the clouds and hills beyond the simple buildings.

Being early in the afternoon, the sky was illuminated by bright, incandescent beams of life-giving sunlight that seemed to just make everything it touched glow with an almost heavenly appearance, as clouds were scarce in the sky and the overall atmosphere was warm and glorious for all it reigned over.

Watching the vivid, familiar scenery play out before their eyes, the two, young shinobi were just finishing their meal that they had retrieved from various shops and stands in the bustling town, Neji having had already known exactly what he had wanted to eat prior to the pair making it down there, and now the Sharingan user and the Byakugan user sat comfortably beside each other with sated stomachs and a growing sense of relaxation.

"So, Sasuke, I've been meaning to ask you…"Neji began as he lowered his tea cup from his mouth, his high-browed upbringing showing in his superb dining etiquette as he cast his lovely eyes in a sideways gaze towards said raven, "…you said earlier that you would be leaving here in a few days. Where are you planning to go?"

Sasuke pursed his lips at the Hyuuga's question, not able to discern if it was just a curious question from a man who was beginning to warm up to him, or from a loyal Anbu officer who could use that kind of information for Konoha.

"How about this…you answer one of my questions first…and then I might tell you," Sasuke replied smartly with a quirk of a fine, black eyebrow at his beautiful charge, enjoying how Neji had quietly chuckled upon hearing his obnoxious counter before agreeing to it nonetheless.

"Fine, fine…I'll agree to your stakes," Neji replied light-heartedly with a small smile as he stretched out his white-clad arm to set down his tea cup before they began their game of question-for-a-question, the Hyuuga still wearing one of Sasuke's older, white yukatas on top of his jet-black Anbu shirt and matching pants with his long, chocolate hair braided down his back.

"What exactly is that mark on your forehead?" Sasuke asked, getting directly to one of his most pressing questions he had for the lovely young man beside him, naturally enjoying his elusive company as the Hyuuga seemed to do the exact opposite of what most people did around the Uchiha as he faithfully kept his guard down and simply enjoyed their time together.

However, upon hearing such a personal question that drudged up more than one less-than-savory memories for the long-haired shinobi, Neji lowered his gaze from the Uchiha before bringing it to his own lap, the Hyuuga obviously lost in thought as well as a little downhearted that that was what he had had to explain.

Sasuke watched patiently, intrigued all the more that such a basic question that nearly anyone would ask of the Hyuuga upon seeing the bright green markings on his brow affected the Anbu officer so deeply.

"I remember you hadn't arrived at the Chuunin exam matches yet when I had explained all of this to Naruto and the others, but…I guess I can tell you," Neji began nostalgically as he first took a deep breath and resolved to take such a question in stride and answer it completely, knowing within his heart of hearts that the Uchiha was not one to ridicule or make light of the cursed.

"It is a seal, placed on those born of the Hyuuga's branch family as a way to keep the secrets of the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands, as well as a way for the main house members to keep us in line, "Neji explained intricately but not without a small bit of acid lining his words as he continued, "…only the members of the main house know how to activate our seals which can destroy our brains over time, so this…is a constant reminder…of just how far beneath them I always am."

Sasuke stayed quiet for a moment, licking the front of his teeth as he absorbed the Hyuuga's shocking words that he had honestly not expected, watching him with keen, dark eyes as Neji remained looking downwards at his own hands in his lap, deadly, calloused hands that had, no doubt, tried to prove time and time again that he did not deserve that mark on his forehead and that arbitrary hindrance to his own worth.

Neji really was 'branded' as Sasuke's team had previously speculated, and the thought still upset the Uchiha greatly as it dawned heavily on him that the Hyuuga branch family members were obviously, passionately discriminated against, including Neji.

"I thought my family had been crazy…"Sasuke began with a bit of edgy humor in his smooth, baritone voice, purposefully said to make the Hyuuga look up from his lap and meet his gaze again, "…I'm sorry it's like that for you, Neji. No one has the right to tell you you're not good enough."

"I know," Neji replied quietly as a sad smile found its way to his full, pouting lips as he cast his gaze back onto the shining, merry scenery and nature before him, genuinely finding some solace in hearing such an unfortunate man like Sasuke Uchiha tell him that he deserved better.

"You mentioned Naruto before…"Sasuke added, intentionally utilizing Neji's apparent dreaminess to his advantage to keep the questions off of himself and keep the Leaf Anbu talking, "…how is he these days?"

"Naruto…?" Neji asked with a bit more pep in his voice as he glanced over at the stoic raven, surprised that he was even asking about his old friend and rival, before the Hyuuga quickly put together his answer, "He's doing really well, I think. He's gotten a lot stronger, and he and I have actually become good friends over the years."

"Is that so?" Sasuke asked rhetorically as he smirked at the pale-eyed beauty's warm words, already capable of imagining Naruto talking Neji's head off with his usual, vivacious manner and outrageous gestures until the Uzumaki was able to pull one, significant smile from the precious Hyuuga.

"We've been on a lot on missions together…"Neji added thoughtfully as he reached again for his tea and simply held the heated, ceramic fixture in his hands while he spoke, "…I always find myself learning something new from him."

Sasuke snorted softly at the last of Neji's words, the Hyuuga thinking perhaps a little too kindly about said Uzumaki, as Sasuke wet the inside of his mouth.

"But now it's your turn, Sasuke," Neji broke the brief silence whereupon he had pondered and the Uchiha had brooded as he cocked his head mocha-brown head over to his direction, the light barely catching his porcelain features as he regarded the raven, "…what are you and your team planning to do after your stay here?"

Reverting back to his initial thoughts that examined the Hyuuga's motives for asking such a question, Sasuke decided calmly to voice those very, same words aloud before answering, not willing to chance such a grave mistake should that be the case.

"In what way are you asking me this, Neji? Are you…just curious about what area I plan to travel to from here…or are you trying to gather information to report back to the Anbu black ops?" Sasuke posed seriously, his onyx eyes have narrowed considerably as he held Neji's widening gaze evenly, mercilessly.

"I was asking…because I just wanted to know…as a friend, Sasuke," Neji replied, sounding defeated as he continued after dropping his relentless gaze that the Hyuuga could practically feel searching his soul and picking him apart, "…but it seems that I have crossed some boundary, so I'll just take my leave, then…"

Frowning, Neji stood up from his spot, making sure not to look upon the Uchiha's troubled face, as he turned around so he may walk back into the suite and effectively leave Sasuke alone.

However, Neji had only gotten to take a single step towards the sliding doors before a hand swiftly caught his wrist, prompting the Anbu to immediately look down at Sasuke's still sitting form, whose charcoal gaze was waiting for him as he prevented the Hyuuga from moving any further away.

"Don't go;" Sasuke said gravely for only Neji to hear as the handsome Uchiha spoke calmly but with such gravity in his voice that the Hyuuga was easily enthralled by, "I didn't mean to snap at you, Neji. Sit down."

Gently, Sasuke used his grip on Neji's delicate wrist to usher the older male to sit down on his lap, facing the raven, as the Hyuuga's features and aura had become extremely docile and pleasant now that Sasuke had voiced his apology, cleared the air between them, and was now gazing fondly at his lovely face mere inches away from his own.

"…sorry," Neji admitted quietly, drowning serenely in the effortless strength and collectiveness Sasuke seemed to emit, as the Uchiha blinked his striking eyes at him while resting his hands on the Hyuuga's powerful thighs that were now on either side of him.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Neji," Sasuke said coolly, his smooth tone suggesting that his statement should have been yet another thing that the brilliant Hyuuga should have known beforehand, the raven's natural body heat coupled with his generous words making the pale-eyed young man shiver slightly on top of him.

"I have one more question for you, if you'll answer it…"Sasuke continued as he traced his fingers down each of Neji's thighs, wanting without wanting in such a tender, fragile moment, before he stopped his movements and rested his hands again so he may finish, "…what's it like?"

Neji blinked at Sasuke, too fixated on the raven's skilled, fatal hands trailing lightly over the tops of his thighs to cohesively fathom a guess as to what the inquisitive Uchiha could have logically meant by his words.

"What do you mean?" Neji asked as he searched Sasuk's flawless features, taking in his strong jaw line and squarer, more rugged shape whereas the Hyuuga himself had high cheekbones and more of a pointed chin as a result.

Sasuke only hesitated for a second to lick the roof of his mouth before clarifying.

"The Anbu black ops…what's it like?" Sasuke asked somberly, hinting from the ambiguity of his words that he wanted for Neji to go into as much detail as he pleased, to tell him some stories of his time serving in the elite military function of Konoha, to enlighten him as to what his beloved brother had had to struggle with but he would never know.

Neji cleared his throat before speaking, not particularly sure as to why Sasuke would want to know about this topic, but decided to talk about it nonetheless; perhaps then Sasuke would let him in on his own, internal reasons.

"It's difficult; it's very…difficult," Neji almost chuckled darkly as he began his synopsis of his most challenging role yet as a trusted and decorated shinobi of the Leaf as he brought up a hand to his brow and smoothed out one of his eyebrows with his fingertips, "…training to be in their ranks was brutal at best…the things I did, just to get a silly little nod from one of them and the tattoo on my shoulder…bordered on inhumane at times."

"They often send me to the Land of Snow since, because of my Byakugan, I am one of the few people capable of seeing clearly in such horrid conditions," Neji continued downheartedly, reflectively as he tipped his eyes to a side as he recounted the painful events of which he spoke, "…I have almost died twice from freezing to death because of that, and that's something…I will never be able to forget."

Fingertips as mild as a passing breeze stroked the side of Neji's soft cheek until Sasuke turned the Hyuuga's beautiful face back towards him, finding Neji's milky, lavender eyes filled with growing appreciation that the Uchiha was trying to save him from delving too far into something that obvious brought him so much grief.

"They still speak of Itachi from time to time…"Neji brought up with a mixture of hope and caution in his voice as he mentioned the older Uchiha brother to the lone survivor of the massacre, but finally with the realization dawning on him that that had to be the reason why Sasuke had asked him about Anbu in the first place, "…the methods he created as an Anbu captain are still used to this day by four-man squads. He is still regarded for his technical genius and strategy."

Much to the Hyuuga's utter relief and delight that touched far into his soul, upon hearing what Neji had to say about his older brother, Sasuke smiled.

Then, Sasuke wrapped his long, strong arms around the Hyuuga in his lap, hugging him close as both men shared a mutual moment of personal lamentation, hardship, but also, comfort; genuinely finding consolation in the other man in his arms, Sasuke clung to Neji the same way he clung to the positive words spoken about his misunderstood brother while Neji accepted Sasuke's struggling emotion and reciprocated with holding dearly onto someone he cared for.

"Thank you…Neji," Sasuke said into the white fabric on top of Neji's shoulder as the long-haired shinobi shushed him soothing while rubbing his back and squeezing him just as much as the Uchiha held him.

"No problem, Sasuke…it was no problem at all," Neji said to the emotional raven in his arms, feeling a bit of swelling pride that Sasuke would break somewhat like this in front of him, hold onto him as if he was the last person left alive, thank him like he had just saved his life.

Quickly, taking the Hyuuga by surprise, Sasuke lifted his head up from Neji's shoulder and captured his soft, supple lips with his own in a passionate, gracious kiss, a kiss that told Neji's very being that Sasuke was truly grateful to have him, as the Uchiha moved one hand to the base of Neji's skull while his other remained tightly wrapped around his back.

Neji hummed into the kiss as his fingers clawed in approval at Sasuke's broad shoulders, loving how the Uchiha was practically enveloping him in a possessive, relentless manner that spoke worlds to the Hyuuga just how much Sasuke wanted him.

Neji obediently parted his lips upon feeling Sasuke's warm tongue run across his bottom lip, their opened mouths quick to join together and deepen their kiss, as the Hyuuga also noticed that Sasuke had freed his hand from his back and was tugging the elastic band out of the ends of his hair.

Neji moaned into Sasuke's mouth, their tongues battling heatedly in between their parted lips, as he drew his lithe arms up Sasuke's shoulders until he was squeezing the handsome raven even closer to his own body while the kissed, the Sharingan user deftly freeing Neji's hair from its braid as he ran his fingers through the lengthy, silken tresses.

His triceps resting on top of the raven's sturdy shoulders, Neji lustfully scratched his nails up Sasuke's clothed back, both men angling their mouths a little different in order to continue their fiery kisses as Sasuke hissed in pleasure upon feeling Neji's almost untamed ministrations to him before attacking the Hyuuga's sweet, addicting mouth once more.

Bringing his hands up to either side of Neji's face, Sasuke drove his fingers deep into the Hyuuga's long, chocolate mane that now hung heavily down his back and around his shoulders, the way Sasuke personally preferred to see the gorgeous young man in his arms, as he lured Neji's tongue into his mouth and wantonly closed his lips around the warm, wet muscle.

The Anbu officer's breath hitched as he felt Sasuke taunt at much more drastic, appealing activities as the raven sucked on his tongue in between his lips, purposefully flicking his own tongue against the Hyuuga's before tasting it slowly, intentionally trying to bring Neji out of his right mind and desire the same treatment elsewhere on his immaculate body.

Pulling his tingling tongue away from Sasuke's lips, Neji forcefully slammed their lips back together as he brought both of his hands to the front of Sasuke's high-collared shirt and easily slipped them underneath the bottom hem, instantly running his fingers heavily across the Uchiha's toned, muscled abdomen and drinking in the fine contours of satin flesh.

Sasuke groaned against Neji's luscious lips, wanting desperately for the Hyuuga to tear his shirt right off of him so he may have as much of him as he pleased, as he felt himself positively dying underneath Neji's pawing hands that intricately praised every curve of sculpt muscle that he had there.

Just then, the sliding doors behind them opened, revealing a smiling, white-haired young man holding a small cup in his hands.

"Hello! I just came by to give Neji his…whoa, you guys are kissing, so I'm just going to set this down right here and yeah…"Suigetsu clumsily rushed his words as he hurriedly put the tiny, ceramic cup down on the balcony next to Sasuke and Neji and then quickly turned right around and bolted back inside the suite.

While Sasuke did not seem to care that Suigetsu had just been there and spoken to them, after the sharp-toothed sword-wielder had left, Neji broke off their kiss in favor of looking in that direction to seek out what Suigetsu had brought for him.

Neji's head being turned a little bit from him, Sasuke placed slow, savoring kisses to Neji's jaw and cheek in a parting, loving gesture, the Uchiha's hands still not ready to let go of the long-haired Leaf ninja even though he already knew that Suigetsu had brought Neji his second dose of medicine and that he needed to let Neji to drink it.

"S-Sasuke…"Neji cooed dreamily he closed his eyes and smiled softly, knowing exactly what Sasuke was doing by continuing to kiss him and distract him as he was, the Hyuuga secretly loving all of the cotton-soft pleasure Sasuke was inflicting upon him with all of his sugar-sweet ministrations that practically begged Neji not to move away from him.

"I know," Sasuke replied simply as placed one last kiss to Neji's neck before freeing his hands from Neji's form so the latter may get to his feet.

Sasuke watched with half-lidded and meticulous eyes as Neji stood up straight and then moved over to where the brown-colored cup was sitting on the balcony, picking it up with graceful ease as most of his lengthy mane slid over his shoulder in the process.

"This is my medicine, isn't it?" Neji asked pseudo-glumly of the Uchiha who was just now standing up to his full height, Sasuke halfway mentally cursing his teammate's poor timing while also trying to remind himself that it had been for Neji's health so he should not really be cursing the man at all.

"I'm afraid so," Sasuke replied with his usual dry wit, knowing that the concoction had to taste just as awful as it smelled as he watched the Hyuuga grimace at his confirming answer.

"…great," Neji commented with an even drier tone in his naturally raspy voice as he brought the cup to his lips and tipped it back carefully.

Sasuke watched as the layered locks of chocolate tresses that framed around Neji's pale face fell away from his cheeks as he gulped down the medical, brown liquid, his long, slender throat moving as he swallowed the concoction, and the avenger could not help but keep his eyes glued to the scene of something so simple but wholly engrossing playing out before him.

"_I'd already accepted that he interests me. I had already accepted that I think he's beautiful, and that I want for him to be mine," _Sasuke began thinking to himself as he watched Neji finish the drink and then lower the cup, a comical expression of utter disgust on the Hyuuga's heavenly face as he glared at the innocent cup in his hand as if he was going to perform a fatal jutsu on it.

"_Maybe…I really do…"_Sasuke continued pondering as Neji looked up and finally met his searching gaze with a much calmer one of his own, the Hyuuga having successfully taken his medicine and was now ready to move into the suite as the late afternoon settled in and colored the skies above them with darker hues of orange and subtle pink.

"Let's go in and join the others, and I promise that I won't let Karin braid my hair this time," Neji commented lightheartedly with a daring smirk, purposefully hinting at the early moment when Sasuke had cornered the unknowing Hyuuga to question him about exactly that.

"…_love him…"_

Sasuke silently followed in after the long-haired shinobi through the opened doorway into the suite where he knew his team would be waiting for them.

X

A few hours later…

Juugo's half-lidded, auburn eyes swept calmly from left to right as he and the long-haired Anbu officer strolled through the town, stepping passed chatting strangers and store-keepers as both men watched which shops they were passing whilst they continued their hunt.

While Neji Hyuuga had never been labeled a garrulous man, the Byakugan user did feel a subtle need to strike up conversation with the orange-haired giant in order to better surmise what state of mind he was in and whether or not he should fear for his own safety.

However, having not yet come up with anything of particular substance to say to the tall, stoic man, Neji kept his mouth shut while he and Juugo visited a few food stands to retrieve dinner for everyone back at the inn, Sasuke having entrusted Juugo with Neji's care above the others whom the Uchiha knew fancied the Hyuuga while he was away performing some of his own duties.

"Is that the last shop there?" Neji finally said something to his errand companion as he pointed a finger to the left side of the street where the cook was busy fanning down seared seafood arrangements.

"Mm-hmm," Juggo grumbled his reply to the Hyuuga who wanted to roll his eyes at the large man's non-committing antics as the pair of them angled their steps towards that particular stand.

"Good evening, young men!" the aged, bronzed cook greeting Juugo and Neji with a nearly toothless smile as he continued fanning the sizzling meat and fish for customers to choose from, "How can I help you?"

"We'd like three fish scallops and two fried squid please," Neji informed the entrepreneur loyally, as he dug his free hand into his pants pocket for money, his other hand currently holding another sack filled with other food items.

"Of course…"the old man murmured as he produced a small, plastic container and placed the ordered dishes inside of it, before setting the container inside another sack for Neji to carry.

Neji placed a few bills and the appropriate change on the counter in between him and the vendor before accepting the bag gratefully, not noticing that Juugo's sharp eyes were looking over his head and towards a direction that Neji was not facing while making said transaction.

"Thank you! Please come back any time!" the old man said merrily as he took the money off of the wooden counter to file away.

Neji was just about to say a parting phrase to the kind, old chef but his words died quickly in his throat upon feeling Juugo's massive hand on his shoulder pushing him away from the stand and back into the semi-crowded streets.

"What's wrong?" Neji asked as he steadied himself from Juugo's sudden movement of them both as he turned to face giant, instantly alarmed when he saw the typically expressionless face sport a look of wide-eyed worry.

"Someone's watching us; I can feel them," Juugo reported plainly, his low timber reverberating in the space in between himself and the Anbu officer listening to him.

"Byakugan!" Neji announced as he took a deep breath and drew in his warrior's strength, making him overlook the town he was standing in, the common people around him, and the overall sense to try to be normal right along with them, as he channeled his chakra into his eyes and activated his impressive kenkei genkai.

"What do you see?" Juugo asked Neji, his voice patient, but the orange-haired man looked as if he was increasingly growing more and more agitated that he had to wait at all.

"I see them. Two ahead approximately fifty-three yards away, behind that shop there…and the third is…look out!" Neji yelled he spotted a third, enclosing enemy use a teleportation jutsu to move himself from only a little ways behind them, having been incognito the whole time, until he was right in their vicinity.

Neji noticed that he had been the one whom that third enemy in hiding had tried to attack straight away, as the Hyuuga had to drop his small bags with their food in them, so he could hastily spin out of the way as the man dressed in brown tried to spear him with a kunai.

"I…know these men. They are from the same group that poisoned me!" Neji growled out to Juugo as he recognized the men's similar brown attire and cream-colored masks before directing his next comment to them, "What do you want?!"

"Heh heh…"one of them laughed from somewhere behind the ex-prisoner, "…why, Neji Hyuuga of the famous Hyuuga Clan, we only want…your EYES!"

Despite his well-honed shinobi instincts and expert fighting capabilities, Neji could not help but be startled from such a morbid declaration as he gasped out loud upon hearing it, the Hyuuga admittedly feeling a bit frightened that these rogue men had followed him, tracked him, all for the purpose of obtaining his eyes for their own unnatural devices.

Juugo, however, noticed the Hyuuga's small bout of panic, all the brown-dressed ninja suddenly charging in from their positions to administer a barrage of direct attacks with, no doubt, the hope of poisoning the Leaf ninja once again, but the orange-haired man…would have none of that.

Right before Neji's beautiful, rare eyes, Juugo crouched his body into a ball, struggling with a sort of internal pain as something appeared to be corrupting his staggering frame, as the ex-prisoner started growling in his throat which quickly escalated into him shouting wildly upon straightening back up to his full, towering height.

Neji had to take his eyes off of the transforming man in order to hurriedly evade the rogue shinobi attacking him, having to dodge poison-dipped kunai, as the Hyuuga assumed his fighting stance and maneuvered around their bodies with almost water-like fluidity.

Most of the people in the streets had already taken heed of the complicated confrontation going on and fled the area, but Neji was still feeling a bit out of his element as he had to shift his weight on top of the dirty, town streets, making sure he did not bump into any nearby signs or buildings.

"Eight Trigrams...Empty Palm!" Neji declared fiercely as he pushed his hands forward in a highly-skilled maneuver which two of the men were able to dodge at the last moment, but caught the third as he was suddenly hit by a tremendous amount of wind and chakra fused together that made his body sprawl out lifelessly on the street.

However, Neji remembered that it had been this move he had executed whence he was struck in the arm with poisoned shuriken, and the Hyuuga could already hear the zinging sounds of the deadly weapons flying through the air to perform the same, quick assault.

"Juugo!" Neji called desperately, already fearing the worst as his recovering body was not yet able to move with the lightening-fast speed that he was best known for, something he needed direly at this very moment where he was at the center of an onslaught of blades.

Then, faster than he could have imagined, Juugo was right beside him, wrapping his arms around his lithe frame for only a second before abruptly disappearing from the enemy's view, rendering all of the oncoming shuriken and kunai to clatter and thud uselessly into the solid ground.

Neji realized that Juugo had transported them to a nearby alleyway that was visually obscured from where the enemy ninja were still at, the Hyuuga stilling for a moment as his feet touched the ground while he looked at Juugo's form that was covered in tiny, jagged black designs that patterned all over his face and one arm while his other had transformed into a huge, shapeless mass of grey flesh that looked like it could easily destroy him and everything around him.

Within another bat of an eyelid, Juugo disappeared from in front of Neji, leaving him in that alleyway, while his shocking, terrifying form appeared back amongst the brown-clad men, Juugo roaring with immense rage as soon as he arrived there.

Neji's eyes widened as he watched as Juugo ferociously reared his transformed arm back, his stance wide and menacing over the mask-wearing ninja who were busy trying to throw kunai at him and perform Genjutsus, before his huge, misshapen fist crushed the one man who had been trying to stand his ground with his knives.

Neji winced as the offending man was rendered a broken pile of limbs on the ground, Juugo delivering the deceased male a few more unforgiving punches that shook the earth, and it was the Hyuuga who noticed that the other male had used his Genjutsu to disappear from the monster's sight so he may surprise him.

"Juugo! Juugo, the other man used a Genjutsu, so now he's…arg!" Neji hollered at the orange-haired, black-marred man a little ways before him from the alley, but was quickly seized from behind as his arms were clamped behind his back and he was pushed forward against the side of the building to which he was closest.

"Uh-uh-uh, Hyuuga…"the man taunted as he brought up a hand holding a kunai to Neji's face, the point of the deadly weapon nearing Neji's vulnerable eyes as he remained pressed up against the wall, his teeth grit as he tried to move his face away, "…you can't sick your dog on me…I have got to have your eyes…!"

Neji squeezed his eyes shut, but, in the next instant, felt the pressure on his arms and back vanish, prompting him to turn around in his spot at once.

Juugo's monstrous hand was gripping the enemy ninja's head tight; crushing it relentlessly at it occurred to the Hyuuga that he was already dead, before Juugo slammed the man's face into the opposite wall; easily creating a huge crater within the stone and mortar fixture as he drew back his arms to repeat the gruesome act.

"Wait!" Neji voiced, moving without really thinking about it as he took a step towards Juugo and carefully placed his hands on top of the orange-haired man's arm, "...he's…he's gone, so…you don't have to do anything more, Juugo."

Neji had purposefully kept his voice pleasant and calm, lifting his pale gaze up to the giant's rampant, auburn one as he kept his hands resting mildly on the taller man's arm while he spoke to him, looked up at him.

Gradually, Juugo's grit teeth started to relax, the intensity in his eyes dissolving, and Neji watched with awestruck interest as the ominous, black pattern covering the man's body subsided back into the curse mark on his neck, effectively cleansing Juugo of his temporary need to kill and maim as he dropped the lifeless corpse, just as Neji had asked him to, as he maintained the Hyuuga's lovely gaze.

"Are you injured?" Juugo asked the slender Anbu, surprising Neji with his considerate words as the Hyuuga slowly took his hands away from Juugo's normal arm.

"No, not at all…thanks to you," Neji admitted heavily as he blinked his glowing gaze up at Juugo's steady, calm features, looking at the quiet, unpredictable shinobi with perhaps a completely different opinion of him.

With unimaginable care, Juugo brought his hands to one of Neji's, taking the latter's slender fingers inside his palm while he used his other hand to partially lift up Neji's sleeve from his wrist as Juugo grazed his large fingers over pale, silken flesh.

"You're important to Sasuke…so that makes you important to me," Juugo explained with almost eerie simplicity as he performed such a gentle, kind ministration on the Hyuuga, absolutely stunning the long-haired shinobi into silence as Neji felt Juugo's massive hands on his arm, hands that he had just witnessed crush the life out of those whom had threatened him only moments ago.

X

That evening…

"_What do you mean he was 'attacked'…?"_

Neji could hear Sasuke and Juugo's conversation from where he was in the other room, setting up his futon and bedding, as he remained on his hands and knees to smooth out the wrinkles from the soft material with quick swipes of his fingers whilst he listened to Juugo explain what had happened in the marketplace as Sasuke angrily posed question after question to his loyal teammate.

Neji noticed that the brief bout of shouting from the Uchiha had stopped and that he could now hear heavy, determined footsteps come his way from the next room over, knowing that it had to be Sasuke who was hurrying to see him now that he had all of his information from the orange-haired man.

Neji pushed himself off of the floor and onto his feet before the apparently not-too-happy Uchiha arrived, stretching his back a little, before the sliding door was abruptly shoved aside to reveal a glaring, furious avenger.

"Hello, Sasuke. I was just finishing setting up the…"Neji began innocently but was unable to complete his thought for Sasuke had crossed the space in between them with blinding speed until he could easily take either side of the Hyuuga's precious face in his hands.

Charcoal black eyes looked almost pained as Sasuke used his hold on Neji's head to gently turn it from side to side, the Uchiha obviously checking the Leaf ninja for injuries as Neji tentatively brought his fingertips to Sasuke's forearms, the latter already rendering rather heavy-hearted and touched at the Uchiha's evident concern over his wellbeing.

"Did they hurt you?" Sasuke asked with weighty, serious words, words that spoke of something else entirely to the Hyuuga as he blinked his pale, lavender eyes at his passionate raven and put some more strength in his hands as he touched Sasuke's arms before him.

"I'm okay, Sasuke, I promise. Juugo protected me…"Neji said softly, meaning to reassure the troubled raven as Sasuke slid his hands down Neji's neck until he could simply rest them against the feather-soft, sensitive flesh there.

Sasuke and Neji both naturally brought their foreheads together, each taking immense relief in the other's presence and warmth and concern as they rested in this position, holding onto each other and simply taking a moment to breathe and process.

"It should have been me…"Sasuke said solemnly, keeping his eyes downcast as he absentmindedly stroked his thumbs over the dip in Neji's throat, truly cherishing that the beautiful Anbu was safe and in his arms once again, but hating himself for completely different reasons, "…I should have been the one to protect you."

"Sasuke…"Neji whispered, not exactly knowing what he should say to the brooding raven touching him so fondly, breathing him in so deeply, but saying things that made his heart jerk painfully inside of his chest, "…it's okay. It wasn't your fault. Those ninja had been tailing me for awhile, so we had no idea when they were going to make their move."

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed, absorbing Neji's words and clinging onto their worth, as he lingeringly slid his hands over Neji's shoulders and partially down his arms, before he politely separated their foreheads so he may look properly upon the gorgeous, long-haired shinobi before speaking his mind.

"It's been a long time since anyone has tried to reassure me about anything," Sasuke confessed in a low, hushed tone that made Neji's blood warm even more inside of his veins as he swallowed hard at such grave, disheartening words, his chest continuing to ache for the raven.

Gracefully, pale, strong arms were lifted even higher upon the Uchiha as Neji wrapped his arms around Sasuke's broad shoulders, squeezing him earnestly and feeling more than encouraged when the Uchiha wasted no time in encircling his own arms around the Hyuuga's back to keep him close.

"Then, I'll do it as many times as you need, Sasuke," Neji said somberly before burying his porcelain face in the side of Sasuke's neck, loving how Sasuke was running a hand through his long, mocha-colored tresses while his other still held firmly onto his lower back.

The Hyuuga was beside himself with how much pertinent emotion could exude from the raven when he was pushed so far, how much that handsome, stony face of his would crack and chip when something he cared about was compromised, so Neji embraced him with even more sincerity, even more love, than he had thought was capable.

Like the unfortunate avenger, the Anbu was not well-versed in having a great many people care about him personally, especially to the point where they would take it as a personal blow that they had not specifically been there when Neji had been in danger, and the Hyuuga could not fathom going back to such a state now that he had finally found someone who did exactly that.

"And Juugo…he didn't try to hurt you…?" Sasuke asked in a whispered, breathy voice, his internal rage having hugely subsided into a dull discomfort that was quickly being extinguished the more Neji kept holding him in his arms, telling him soothing words, and loving how Sasuke himself was the one to reciprocate it all back.

"Of course not," Neji reassured once more in that life-saving, pleasantly raspy voice of his that acted as a sort of balm to the Uchiha's minor distress and questions, making Sasuke relax considerably against the Hyuuga while he brought his hands back up to Neji's triceps to take a firm hold.

Easing Neji away from his body respectfully, Sasuke tightened his grip on Neji's arms possessively as he bore his striking, dark eyes right into divergent, pale ones before he spoke again, the Hyuuga's hands having slid down from over Sasuke's shoulders to rest against the solid planes of his chest upon being inched backwards.

"Good. I don't know what I would have done if I'd found out that he had hurt you somehow…" the avenger commented with deep seriousness coating his rich voice, making the Hyuuga within his grasp shiver slightly underneath his touch, as Neji realized exactly what those words could have very well implied.

"It was quite strange, really…" Neji reflected with a lighter expression as his mind remembered the events he had witnessed with the orange-haired man, the Hyuuga also not wanting for the both of them to dwell too long on the would-be prospect of Sasuke possibly killing his teammate, "…when he transformed, he had such…malice in his eyes…but, when I asked him to stop, he did, and I watched his eyes go back to normal. What happened, Sasuke?"

Sasuke lightly clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, trying think of a way of how to answer the bright-eyed, lovely Hyuuga before him, the Uchiha still drinking in Neji's warmth and raspy words that placated his mind, soothed his weary soul.

"Juugo can be…hard to control when he's transformed; hard to bring back to reality; but…"Sasuke began somewhat complicatedly before cocking his head to a side as he continued to study the famed Neji Hyuuga in his arms, peering into his face with his rare eyes, no longer caring that he was not wearing his Konoha headband around him, "…I guess he took one look at you and was able to calm down."

Neji blushed, frowning a bit at Sasuke's flattering words to him, as he tried to avert his eyes from Sasuke's startlingly handsome, smirking face.

"Let's get some sleep, Neji," Sasuke provided coolly, his perfectly-shaped lips still smirking as the Uchiha positively loved the blush coloring Neji's pale features as he dropped his hands from the man's arms and took a respectful step back from him to allow the Hyuuga some room to move about.

Cognizant of the Uchiha already slipping into the futon that he had made, the Byakugan user pulled his borrowed yukata off of his hardened, bared shoulders, his Anbu black ops standard uniform top still covering his torso, folded the white garment diligently in his hands and then proceeded to set it down on the floor next to the blankets.

Looking back up to Sasuke, as if needing to see his face before moving another muscle, Neji's lips parted as he took in the sight of the elusive Uchiha criminal lying on his side and gazing straight back at him with a charming, patient expression, the raven appearing to be merely watching and appreciating the long-haired shinobi who was now inching his way next to him.

Sasuke slowly blinked his eyes, his luscious lips barely curving a tired smile, as he watched Neji slowly saunter up next to him underneath the white and tan-colored covers until the elite Anbu officer boldly laid his chocolate head down on top of Sasuke's shoulder and brought up a hand to rest on his clothed chest, nuzzling into his claimed place on the Uchiha on which he was to sleep.

Sasuke smiled as he looked over Neji's pale shoulders and arms that were draped across him as the Uchiha continued to lie on his back with his Hyuuga cuddled up next to him, seeking out his warmth and body and finding comfort through both, and the ruthless avenger was humbled.

"Neji?" Sasuke spoke quietly inside the darkened, peaceful room that practically felt separated from the rest of the world, as he carefully brought up a hand to the upturned side of the Leaf ninja's face so he may brush the long locks of brown silk away from Neji's closed eyes and rounded cheek.

"Hmm?" Neji replied simply, feeling his overall drowsiness rapidly overtake him as he was finally lying down with his eyes closed, able to practically feel all of his tension and stress ooze out of his body in gigantic turns, which, coupled with the soothing affection Sasuke was showing him by playing with his hair, Neji knew that a deep slumber was already creeping up on him in a most enjoyable, freeing fashion.

Sasuke wet his lips and stilled his hand on the side of Neji's smooth, perfect face.

"My team and I are going to head further west to the Land of Earth the day after tomorrow," Sasuke said evenly, answering Neji's question to him from earlier that morning when they had talked on the balcony over breakfast, the Uchiha knowing now without a glimmer of doubt that he wanted Neji to know such information, that the raven trusted him completely.

"…the terrain…be careful not to…slip on rocks…"Neji murmured in a barely audible voice against Sasuke's chest, his stunning eyes remaining closed, as it became clear to the Uchiha that the Hyuuga had spoken to him only semi-consciously before promptly falling asleep right on top of him, pressing his face adorably against his chest as the delicate, slender hand on the raven's stomach went lax with rest.

Sasuke chuckled at the Anbu's exhausted 'warning' to him and his confession about his notorious team's upcoming whereabouts, before the Uchiha tipped his head forward to place a quick kiss to the top of Neij's soft, mocha head before relaxing his body once more amongst the sheets, and finally closed his eyes as well - the Sharingan user uncommonly pleased with everything happening around him as he felt nothing but calm satisfaction with how the Hyuuga was sleeping with him right now in an understandable gesture of mutual acceptance and something much sweeter that he dared to dream about that evening.

_Author's Note_: Oh my God…dialogue between these two is so effing hard to write. Drives me crazy, is all. Anywho, on to Chapter Four, yes? Yes! XD Leave your comments at the door, people and have a most _simple_ day, ne?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Later that same night…

Inky black eyes slowly opened as Sasuke breathed in a deep breath of crisp, evening air, letting it fill his lungs as he awoke from his slumber, and tiredly beheld the shadowed ceiling of his room in the suite.

Tipping his head to a side as the Uchiha's restful mind was beginning to become more and more aware of the things around him, Sasuke smirked lazily at the sight of the long-haired Hyuuga snoozing peacefully on top of him, long, chocolate-colored locks of hair strewn all over his own clothed chest and stomach as Neji breathed evenly against his collarbone.

In spite of the small sleeping quarters being so heavily darkened by the velvety, blue-black of the late hour, Sasuke was able to see Neji's heavenly face perfectly on top of his chest, the Hyuuga looking absolutely ethereal and breathtaking in such a trusting, serene state.

Briefly cursing himself for even wanting to disturb such beauty before him, Sasuke, nonetheless, felt his body crave to move around some and change how he was to continue sleeping, so he gently brought his hands to either of Neji's shoulders and carefully switched their positions by easing the Leaf ninja onto his back.

Upon being lain on his back with his head nestled comfortably amongst the small pillows for them, Neji stirred in his sleep, slowly moving his legs around underneath the sheets as he whined cutely in his throat.

"Sasuke...?" Neji voiced upon awakening in full as the Uchiha's hands had stayed on his shoulders while the raven had simply taken to watching such a gorgeous man rouse from his sleep right in front of him, the Anbu officer drowsily bringing his fingers up to Sasuke's wrists and touching them lightly, "...are you leaving?"

Sasuke parted his lips at Neji's whispered, worried question to him, blinking his black eyes once in shock as he watched Neji barely open his own, much paler ones to look at him finally, the realization dawning on the Uchiha heavily that the Hyuuga had thought he was moving him so that he could leave him.

"No…I'm not going anywhere," Sasuke replied just as quietly as Neji's words to him had been, their 'bedroom' voices bordering on affectionate as they stayed close to one another, Neji's fingertips drawing endless patterns across Sasuke's vulnerable wrists and forearms as they spoke.

Sasuke watched as Neji smiled at his reassurance, and the Uchiha could take no more; the Hyuuga's light petting of his skin and words of dire concern proving to be far too much than what he had been prepared for and it all; everything he had been feeling upon welcoming the intriguing Hyuuga into his life again, came crashing down upon the stoic avenger the moment he saw Neji smile that rare, heart-stopping smile of his at him when he had heard Sasuke say that was not going to leave.

Sasuke brought his lips down upon Neji's sweet, tempting mouth with significant fortitude, instantly feeling relieved as he felt the long-haired young man moving his lips right along with his own as Neji slid his hands higher along his strong, well-muscled arms, mapping out all of the grooves and lines of hard muscle there before snaking their way behind the raven's neck to hold him close.

Sasuke had firmly planted his hands on the soft futon on either side of Neji's head for support as he felt Neji gently embrace him, their warm mouths opening at the same time before their tongues met in a delicious, slippery friction that quickly drew low, longing groans from both shinobi upon tasting the other once more.

The avenger knew that he absolutely adored kissing the willful, noble Hyuuga below him, momentarily considering that he was able to taste everything that he had originally wanted to be within Neji as he swept his tongue over and over against Neji's tongue, purposefully bringing the both of them more pleasure than teasing as Sasuke kissed the pale-eyed man with more passion than he knew he had.

Then, Sasuke gasped sharply against Neji's lips, his naturally closing eyes snapping open in unforeseeable excitement, as he felt Neji skillfully comb his fingers through his silken, black spikes while arching his lithe, supple body underneath the Uchiha's bigger, hovering frame.

Loving how the length of Neji's lean body felt pressed up against his own, Sasuke quickly brought one of his hands down to Neji's lower back and raised him up again, making their growing arousals grind together beneath their clothing and sending startling jolts of electricity through their veins as Neji tugged a little harder on Sasuke's hair as a result.

Shuddering in total, mind-numbing pleasure from such possessive treatment when Sasuke had grabbed him, Neji lured the raven-haired male's tongue inside of his mouth and sucked diligently on the sensitive muscle, his hands still sifting through impossibly soft locks of short hair until he brought his fingers to Sasuke's temples.

Sasuke groaned briefly in his throat from Neji showing him so much soul-clenching affection, affection that was threatening to bring him out of his right mind if he let it escalate, so he somewhat remorsefully pulled his tongue and lips away from Neji's mouth so he may speak to him.

"Hold on, Neji…"Sasuke began with a lightly panting, hushed voice as he forced himself to keep a straight stare with the gorgeous man beneath him who was already lovingly brushing his own raven bangs out of his eyes while he spoke, "…you need to tell me right now if you don't want this to happen, because if…"

"Shut up, Sasuke…no more questions," Neji cut him off dreamily before craning his head up and capturing the Uchiha's perfectly-shaped mouth with his own in a heated, demanding kiss, the Hyuuga's deadly fingers having cupped along Sasuke's strong jaw line as he ushered him back down as well.

Sasuke's genius, highly strategic and sharpened mind drew a temporary blank as he felt Neji tug him back down and force their lips together, the Hyuuga purposefully bending up a knee so Sasuke's frame could be basically cradled against his own form as the pale-eyed young man nipped lustfully at Sasuke's lips before plunging his tongue inside his mouth.

"Mmn…"Sasuke could not help but voice as he wholly treasured how demanding Neji was being with him right now, dictating their kisses and making the Uchiha want him even more than he already had.

Then, in a rushed series of fluid movements, Sasuke wrapped his supporting arm completely underneath Neji's back and pulled him up from the floor, easily placing the smaller ninja on his own lap as he moved backwards to sit down all the while.

Their lips having parted during the transition, Sasuke could tell that Neji wanted to kiss him again as the Hyuuga licked sexily at his own lips as he got more comfortable on top of Sasuke's thighs, but the Uchiha quickly seized the bottom hem of Neji's Anbu shirt and began pulling the thin, durable garment off of him.

Obediently, Neji lifted up his arms so the sleeveless shirt could be tugged right off of his frame and chucked to the side, but once the task was done, the Hyuuga hastily grabbed the front of Sasuke's high-collared white shirt and pulled him in for another, open-mouthed kiss.

The shinobi were beginning to pant hard in between their fiery, desperate kisses, as Sasuke mindlessly ran his hands up and down the Byakugan user's slender, curved back, memorizing all of the taut grooves and occasional scar that made up his pale flesh, while Neji carefully drew down the zipper to Sasuke's shirt.

Long fingers deftly pushed Sasuke's thick shirt off of his broad shoulders, Neji hands purposefully running over the Uchiha's solid chest as he parted their lips once more so they may catch their breath, and that was all the time Sasuke needed to bring his lips to Neji's jaw to begin kissing and licking hotly over the soft, intoxicating flesh.

"Haa…nnh…"Neji panted before catching his bottom lip in between his white teeth, his eyes closing in riddling pleasure as he felt Sasuke kiss generously down the column of his neck before running the flat of his tongue up his throat, the Uchiha's hands holding tightly onto his lower back while Neji clung to Sasuke's shoulders.

Sasuke was positively drowning in all of the sensual noises he was able to pull from the elite Leaf ninja in his arms, and he could not restrain himself from nipping playfully at Neji's Adam's apple which caused the long-haired shinobi to gasp quickly before tipping his head back in pleasure.

Neji lifted a trembling hand to raven spikes of hair once more, gingerly guiding Sasuke even further down his body as Neji arched his back for him; Sasuke immediately taking the hint and closing his lips around one, pert nipple and tonguing it with quick, teasing flicks with his velvety muscle.

"…mmn…S-Sasuke…ah…!"Neji breathed, his whole body shivering deliciously on top of Sasuke's lap as Sasuke practically made love to Neji's nipple inside his mouth, kissing the tiny, pink bud of flesh before suckling hard and then blowing cool air over it, everything making the strict Hyuuga gasp harshly for air as he gripped and pawed and Sasuke's sturdy shoulders.

The surviving Uchiha smirked at Neji's inebriating reactions to his ministrations as he released the tortured nipple but mercilessly moved onto the other one which he nipped lightly with his teeth.

"Ah…! Sasuke…!" Neji half-whined, half-pleaded as he jumped a little inside the raven's embrace before cooing out his pleasure as he felt that warm, soft tongue run over the worried flesh instead, soothing whatever fleeting pain had been inflicted and delivering him almost euphoric sensations.

Desiring to explore the enticing, alluring body before him further, Sasuke lifted his mouth up to Neji's and kissed him in a slow, sweet kiss that made their raging, nearly furious heat between them simmer gloriously, the transition only serving to make everything happening that much more real to them both, as the Uchiha mindfully lowered Neji back down onto the futon while never separating their petal-soft lips.

Neji hummed graciously into the lingering kiss as he felt the sheets and comforter at his back once more, Sasuke's hands travelling slowly down the front of his body until the raven hooked his fingers on the top hem of his Anbu-issued pants.

The pale-eyed male noticed that the raven was hesitating for a moment, perhaps to simply enjoy their unrushed and tender kiss, but the Hyuuga just barely pulled his lips from Sasuke's so he may say something to him.

"Please, Sasuke…"Neji whispered against his mouth, ghosting his lips across the avenger's precious mouth as he brought a hand to Sasuke's own as it gripped his black pants, carefully easing Sasuke's hand down so that he began pulling the simple garment off of him, "…make love to me…"

"Neji…"Sasuke said in a such a way that sounded like a warning to the pale-eyed beauty beneath him before he placed another slow, deliberate kiss on the Hyuuga's tempting lips, almost as if in gratitude, as he continued what Neji had started and slipped his black pants down and off of his legs.

Sasuke rose up from leaning over the sprawled-out Hyuuga to be on his knees as he let his keen, dark eyes sweep over the long lines and elegant curves of skilled, well-honed flesh that contoured Neji Hyuuga's impossibly erotic body.

The Uchiha was able to realize straight away that, due to the Hyuuga's highly-advanced forms of fighting and training, most of Neji's strength lay within his toned arms and powerful thighs, whereas the Uchiha himself had his power in the wide set of his shoulders and taut legs.

"God…Neji…."Sasuke purred out seductively as he eased down the Hyuuga's glowing, sculpt body, placing his chin near the long-haired shinobi's flat stomach as he kept his eyes cast directly into half-lidded lavender, "…someone like me shouldn't be able to even touch you…"

Neji trembled upon hearing such sultry words from the raven, but gripped the cotton sheets beneath him in unforgiving handfuls as he watched Sasuke take his time in bringing his hands to his sides as the Uchiha turned his face towards his flesh and pressed kiss after kiss to the slight curves adorning his abdomen.

"Tell me…"Sasuke continued in his smooth baritone, letting his warm breath flitter across the Hyuuga's heated skin as he nosed lightly through Neji's patch of downy hair, enjoying how an esteemed village prodigy like Neji Hyuuga was positively shattering before his eyes from all of the sluggish praise of his body, "…is this your first time with a man, Neji?"

Neji gulped but gasped out loud as he felt Sasuke teasingly run the tips of his lips over the head of his enflamed cock, the Uchiha delivering the Hyuuga candy-sweet oblivion wrapped in ribbons of silk as he posed a question to the older male but only to taunt his body with pleasure.

"…yes," Neji answered truthfully and was rewarded with Sasuke parting his lips and letting the swollen head of Neji's cock slip inside his warm, moist mouth, the raven's tongue lustfully swirling around his leaking slit and tasting his forbidden essence, something that made the avenger, in turn, feel the maddening pulls of overriding ecstasy enveloping him as well.

The Uchiha scratched his nails down Neji's sides in extreme approval, knowing that the Anbu officer could handle a bit of pain, as he basked in the Hyuuga's answer to his question, making the massacre survivor feel unbelievably privileged, like he had truly received a gift from God Himself amidst his horrible, difficult life; he had been granted a pure, willing soul through which he could finally discover some grace.

"Then…I'm going to take this easy with you," Sasuke affirmed with an airy, saucy voice upon letting Neji's cock slip from his mouth and looking right into the Hyuuga's porcelain, pleasure-ridden face, before slowly lowering his mouth down upon the rigid length before him once more.

"Ahh…Sasu…Sasuke…!"Neji said in a lovely crescendo as Sasuke swallowed inch after inch of Neji's throbbing arousal, letting his tongue massage and dig into the sensitive underside that he knew would make Neji's toes curl in unspeakable ecstasy as he deep-throated his lover's straining erection.

The Uchiha squeezed Neji's softly writhing hips in his hands as he sucked hard at the base of Neji's cock, instantly making the long-haired ninja tangle his fingers in midnight locks of hair as the Hyuuga moaned out loud and unconsciously spread his legs even wider whilst in the throes of his pleasure.

Absolutely pleased with Neji in every way, the avenger stilled the latter's hips in his strong hands before moving his raven head up and down atop the Hyuuga's warm groin, letting Neji's member slide in and out of his mouth at an intentionally increasing pace.

"Ha…ohh…shit, Sasuke…mmn…"Neji cursed wantonly as he kept his hands buried within short, raven spikes as he guided Sasuke along his engorged length, feeling as if he were going to die wonderfully from the steady pleasure that was starting to collect low in his groin and pulsate with wicked, urgent need.

Upon hearing Neji curse the way he had, Sasuke picked up his pace even more while lessening his grip upon the Hyuuga's narrow, perfect hips, applying just enough suction to expertly coax orgasm from the beautiful shinobi beneath him as let Neji fuck his cock into his mouth as he pleased.

"Ohh…S-Sasuke…haa…c-close…" Neji warned in between his sensual groans that served to drive the Uchiha just about stark raving mad, as he freed his hands from his lover's short hair so he may grab and claw at the pillows and sheets up by his head as he stretched his long body even more as his overwhelming pleasure was rapidly reaching an irresistible end.

However, instead of pulling away from the pale-eyed male upon hearing his blood-tingling warning, Sasuke only closed his lips tighter around the pumping, straining length, practically physically begging for Neji to come for him, as he felt the Hyuuga's cock pulse inside his warm cavern before promptly swallowing the whole thing back down his throat.

"Oh my God…Sasuke…Sasu…!" Neji gasped out hotly as he felt his cock shoot his warm, creamy essence down Sasuke's swallowing throat, the Hyuuga's body shaking with the magnitude of his release as he completely lost whatever had been left intact of his senses as he positively drowned in how the Uchiha was lustfully sucking him dry of his juices before lapping at his slit for the rest.

Neji was still trembling, his exquisite eyes glazed over, as the smirking raven crawled back over his body until his face was just inches away from his lover's.

Sasuke brought up a hand to his own lips, keeping direct eye contact with his sated, hazed Hyuuga, as he sensually slipped a few of his fingers inside of his mouth, wetting them with Neji's own release that was still warm and slippery on his tongue, before pulling them out and then hastily slamming his lips down upon Neji's parted ones that looked too sweet to resist.

Neji could taste his own essence within Sasuke's mouth and he purred from how unbearably erotic it was as he arched underneath Sasuke's descending hand that trailed down his stomach and in between his legs until the Byakugan user could feel the Uchiha rub his moistened fingers around his entrance, the unknown but intensely arousing sensations making the Hyuuga's body heat up all over again with an even larger craving from the raven above him.

Upon surmising that the delightfully wanton Hyuuga was ready for him to continue, Sasuke kissed Neji with even more fire, even more ravenous desire to truly claim everything that the long-haired shinobi really was, as he eased a long, skilled finger inside of Neji's entrance, his lips and mouth ready to receive the reactions Neji would have for him.

Neji's breath caught in his throat upon being breached, but Sasuke's petal-soft lips on his own were far too distracting and exciting, and the Hyuuga could not help but pay little mind to the single digit pushing further and further into him, feeling the delicious texture of his insides, as he squirmed lightly underneath of the raven's determined presence, whimpering against his mouth.

Sasuke let Neji nip lustfully at his lips to try to deal with the discomfort before pulling his finger all the way out of Neji's warm, tight ass, but only so he may add a second one to join the first that he began slipping back inside of his lover, the Uchiha using gradually more force in his ministrations as he could practically feel by the rhythm in which Neji breathed and returned his kisses that his body was staying relaxed and willing as he worked on him.

"Ha…ohh…!"Neji broke off their kiss with a breathy groan, however, upon feeling two of Sasuke's deadly fingers inside of him, stretching him in earnest, as the Hyuuga's panting had become far heavier, needier, as he struggled with every ounce of his ninja training to deal with the slight pain as he brought his hands up to Sasuke's shoulders and scratched his nails down his arms.

"Breathe…breathe, Neji…you've got to relax," Sasuke cooed soothingly to the Hyuuga beneath him, his words leaving his mouth almost arbitrarily as he could not deny that Neji looked absolutely beautiful with his immaculate, white teeth grit and his brow lightly furrowed as he gasped his pleasure and pain combined, clutching onto the raven's bigger, broader shoulders before him the more Sasuke felt of him.

"I'm alright, just…mmn…keep going," Neji said sensually as he lessened his hold on the Uchiha's bare shoulders as he knowingly slid a slender thigh up one side of Sasuke's ribs, making the raven's fingers inside of him slide in and out of him much smoother as he provided better leverage for his lover.

"Hmm…that's it…"Sasuke smirked almost sinisterly at Neji as he felt the Hyuuga instinctively relax his every fiber so that there was no more pain, no more resistance that meant him discomfort, as Sasuke easily spread his intruding digits inside of the Leaf ninja and watched in painstaking detail how Neji sucked in a lungful of air and writhed around from the sensations as he panted and groaned it all out, ready for more when he was done.

The avenger could feel his own body strongly protesting any additional prolonging of finally being inside of his gorgeous, pale-eyed lover, the Uchiha's mind having been even more dissolved into a wonderful nothingness upon feeling Neji's entrance squeeze deliciously around his sensitive fingers whilst he stretched him, and the raven hastily pulled his fingers out of his pleading lover at once.

Neji watched through half-lidded, lust-clouded eyes as Sasuke's powerful, tattooed form got situated in between his own parted, creamy legs, the raven's onyx eyes never seeming to leave his face as he shifted his weight gracefully and placed his hands on either of Neji's thighs for balance.

The Konoha Anbu groaned and bit at his bottom lip at the sight of the devastatingly handsome man before him slide a hand down into his own black pants and pull out his throbbing, heavy cock that just begged for attention, before Sasuke dipped his body down low on top of the Hyuuga's spread, erotic form.

"Hold onto me," Sasuke instructed sensuously as he expertly brought his hands down to Neji's thighs and pushed them up higher until the Byakugan user could easily place them on top of his shoulders, Neji already knowing that someone like the raven-haired Sharingan user could support the weight, as Neji also brought his hands to either side of Sasuke's face.

Lowering further still, Sasuke closed his eyes and sank down into Neji's loving, meaningful kiss, a kiss that told Sasuke that Neji was sure, that he genuinely wanted what was going to happen between them, while the Uchiha deftly freed a hand to his own erection and lined the swollen, dripping head with the Hyuuga's prepared entrance.

Slowly, carefully, Sasuke pushed his hips forward, making the wide head of his cock penetrate Neji's impossibly tight entrance, a bit more force having been needed to initially breach the Hyuuga before Sasuke could slide the rest of his member with more ease.

At once, the long-haired young man separated their lips as he arched his body against Sasuke's chest and stomach, crying out from the slow pressure to such a sensitive area as his hands naturally flew to the nape of Sasuke's neck and gripped at short, raven spikes.

"…so tight…mmn…I could come right now just from how tight you are, Neji…"Sasuke groaned sensuously as he tipped his head back against Neij's hands, loving how the Leaf ninja pulled his hair when he was at the extremes of his pleasure as the Hyuuga squeezed at his back with his legs while he adjusted to Sasuke's large size.

"…oh my…Sasuke…nng…you better…move right now, or I'm going to kill you…"Neji growled out as his pale, trim body shivered against the Uchiha, his overall want and desires quickly foregoing any pain that he had felt from being breached as he saw through his narrowed eyes as Sasuke's smiled softly down at him upon hearing his semi-serious threat.

Sweat starting to bead upon his smooth brow, Sasuke brought his free hand to Neji's supple ass, squeezing the soft curves inside his hand as he withdrew his throbbing arousal completely from his lover's entrance but only so he may slam the whole thing back inside of him, his hold on the Hyuuga's alluring body enabling him to have unbelievable precision with his movements.

"Haa…ohh…just like that, Sasuke…ah...!" Neji instantly cried out upon feeling Sasuke's swollen member stab deep inside of him with brain-melting force, the head of the Uchiha's erection stroking over his prostate and delivering him unforeseeable pleasure as the Hyuuga felt nothing but red-hot, heavenly sensations coursing through him as a result.

"So demanding all of a sudden...I like it," Sasuke purred tauntingly to his panting lover before quickly utilizing his hold on Neji's ass to manipulate his lower body as he pleased as the raven instantly took to pounding his member with almost feral tenacity inside of the Hyuuga's gripping, moist heat, loving every time he sheathed himself inside of the Anbu officer and watched as Neji completely lost himself in all of his passion.

The Byakugan user's hands were hastily retracted from Sasuke's neck in favor of reaching high above his head as he fisted the sheets and purposefully stretched out his arching, bouncing body for the Uchiha, his moans growing louder by the minute as he felt the Sharingan user abuse his prostate and massage his inner walls in the most amazing of ways, everything the massacre survivor doing to the Hyuuga's body bordering on a miracle as Neji writhed in his ecstasy and nearly forgot his own name as he moved in time with Sasuke's frantic thrusts.

"Sauke…ahh…I can't…ohh, fuck…mmn…it feels so good," Neji managed to say coherently in between his wall-shaking moans and breathy gasps, his head having tossed to a side as he used his grip on the futon above him to better steady his body for Sasuke's insanity-sparking thrusts, long, chocolate locks of hair slipping across Neij's pale neck in the process as he struggled to deal with so much concentrated pleasure at once.

"Then, does my beautiful lover want more…?" Sasuke asked with a wicked smirk, his eyes half-lidded as he watched as Neji nearly screamed for him upon quickening his pace a bit with sharper, shriller thrusts that made both of their bodies jerk forward together in spite of how tightly the Uchiha was holding onto him.

"Yes…please, Sasuke…"Neji panted breathlessly as he craned his neck back in pleasure once more before continuing, the thought not even occurring to him that he, a Hyuuga, was actually begging wantonly for something, "…please give me more..."

Sasuke swallowed hard at that, having not fully expected the decorated Leaf shinobi to act so obedient and lustful without any hint of hesitation towards him even though he had been the one to pose such a cheeky question to the Hyuuga, but hurriedly pulled his straining member out of his lover's dripping entrance and gracefully eased away from him.

Sasuke smirked mischievously as he sat down away from Neji, his clothed legs spread wide as his purpling length pointed proudly towards his navel, as he beckoned without words for the sultry Hyuuga to come to him, the glint in his dark eyes telling Neji exactly what Sasuke was thinking.

Sasuke licked at his lips and had to refrain from grabbing his own cock as he watched the long-haired male slowly maneuver to his knees, his body all glowing sinew and pale muscle amidst the inky sleeping quarters, as the Hyuuga dropped down onto his hands as well and seductively crawled up to the raven's waiting form.

"I want to see you earn it, Neji;" Sasuke provided devilishly but vaguely, leaving Neij to glean whatever he wished from that, as he added with a bit more timber in his voice now that the Anbu had gotten considerably closer to him and still with that stunning, lusting look in his eyes for him, "…I want to see you move those sexy hips of yours on top of mine."

"Yes…" Neji agreed dreamily as he successfully crawled in between Sasuke's spread legs, but then stuck out his tongue and slowly licked up a small drop of precome that had collected at the tip of his cock.

Sasuke immediately gasped from the unexpected ministration to his member, but relaxed into a deep, pleasurable state, as he watched his pale-eyed lover lap at his huge erection with little licks and swipes of his tongue against his heated flesh, tasting and teasing him at the same time.

"Mmm…Neji…" Sasuke cooed out appreciatively, somewhat beside himself at the Leaf shinobi's positively delectable eroticism, as the Hyuuga better situated himself in between the raven's legs, placing his slender hands on top of either of the Uchiha's thighs as he took more and more of his member into his mouth while having to part his lips wide.

One strong, deadly hand came up to thread through soft, mocha-colored tresses as Sasuke gently pushed Neji further down his length, forcing the Hyuuga to swallow him completely, which made the simmering, slightly trembling Uchiha tip his head back in pleasure as he savored exactly how Neij's lips squeezed around his pulsating member in just the right places to make his blood run even hotter inside his veins.

Neji hummed low in throat in approval of Sasuke's pleasure, wishing to deliver him to his very brink during their time together, as he also freed a hand from Sasuke's thigh to firmly wrap around the base of his cock while he lifted his lips back up to the tip, suckling the whole shaft while he went.

"Fuck, baby…you're killing me…"the Uchiha rasped breathlessly, graciously as he genuinely treasured how Neji was taking his time in tasting his cock, bringing him infinite amounts of silken pleasure with how thorough and determined he was, and the raven carefully retracted his fingers from Neji's hair so he may reach out a little further to his side and seize the Hyuuga's exposed ass in a relentless grip.

"Mmn…"Neji purred around Sasuke's impressive length before pulling his lips away from the leaking slit so he could work his tongue heavily around the sensitive head, his gripping hand around the thick base having tightened upon feeling his raven-haired lover squeeze suggestively at his ass.

"Swallow it again," Sasuke ordered and moaned upon being immediately obeyed, the sexy Hyuuga having instantly thrust his lips back down the raven's entire length in one, fluid motion that made Sasuke all but see stars as he unconsciously gripped Neji's firm ass even harder.

The young man with milky, lavender eyes let Sasuke's member slip from his lips, leaving him partially out of breath for a moment, as Neji got to his knees once more before the hazed Uchiha and slipped one leg after the other over Sasuke's thighs so he may, effectively, straddle the raven's lap at his own pace.

"Sasuke…"Neji breathed out, his mind only distantly aware of how their time together right now had evolved into something much more profound between them; the things transpiring were no longer merely about proving something to the other or by acting just by simple whims alone; as the Hyuuga wound his arms around Sasuke's neck and dipped down his head to look upon his handsome lover.

Sasuke brought his hands up to Neji's taut lower back, sliding them down amorously until he cupped the Hyuuga's tempting ass, and gently lowered him down onto his pulsating cock, the Uchiha having looked up with the same loving emotion written on his face as he peered into Neji's brilliant eyes while they moved.

Their movements were daring to be sacred among one another as they maintained each other's heavy, significant gaze while Sasuke's cock pushed back inside Neji's entrance with soul-shattering ease, the relaxed and properly stretched muscles providing absolutely no resistance to his engorged flesh, as the Uchiha drank in from his intimately close proximity as the lovely male in his arms sighed out his pleasure as he welcomed the raven's every advance.

However, upon having the avenger's whole length back inside of him, Neji freed a hand from around Sasuke's back to enticingly run his fingers through his own hair, effectively moving the long strands out of his way as he threw them behind his back, but kept in that position as he began slowly rolling his hips atop his lover's warm, powerful lap.

"Ohh…God…Sasu…ke…"Neji purred out in building, magnificent pleasure, feeling the vast differences in their new position inside of him as their combined movements made Sasuke's cock plunge into him and sweep longingly over his highly-receptive prostate in such a way that made the elite Hyuuga feel as if he would burst at his seams and reach an unimaginable high that was sure to edge into being sinful.

The Hyuuga brought both of his hands to Sasuke's shoulders as both men increased their pace with one another, Sauske's hands still holding firmly onto Neji's ass on top of his groin as he directed the Anbu's sensuous movements, while Neji's lower back curved and curved again as he let Sasuke fuck his cock up into his tight, hot channel with every slight push and pull that came from the Uchiha's strong arms wrapped around him.

Sasuke could barely think straight as his highly-trained body could only feel, only feel everything that Neji was doing to him, as he watched with partially focused eyes as Neji gracefully arched his back over and over inside his embrace as the Hyuuga tossed his long locks in every direction while he moaned and begged for his pleasure, almost like it was happening in slow motion before the fascinated raven, as their movements together had become a flowing, effortless act in which one man genuinely needed the other for such a breathtaking moment to continue.

"Shit…Neji…"Sasuke growled out heatedly, feeling his body not able to withstand so much unceasing stimulation as he greedily watched the gorgeous Hyuuga prodigy ride his cock with staggering enthusiasm, the raven able to almost feel Neji's pleasure before it struck him with how connected they truly were, "…mmh…ha…baby, you feel incredible…I'm not going to last much longer…"

The erotic words coated over Neji's whole being, tingling at his senses and making his accumulating pleasure burn with more white-hot fire while making him only want to please his Uchiha that much more, as he brought a hand down to his own, weeping member and gripped it hard.

Knowing that Sasuke's midnight-colored orbs were glued to his every movement, the Hyuuga arched his body backwards in order to provide the avenger with an even more forbidden view of his body as he began to pump his fist over his own straining cock with lewd passion and delicious fervor that tore directly into Sasuke's core as he beheld such a spectacle.

"Sasuke…haa…please…ohh my…I can't take any more…I want to feel you come…"Neji begged shamelessly, wanting Sasuke to reach his ultimate fulfillment with him more than anything at this moment, as the Hyuuga felt the edge he had flirted with come to a teetering, crumbling state within himself as his sexual moans toppled over one another, feeling as if he was no longer attached to the planet with the way his hand over his cock and the Uchiha making love to him made him feel right down to the tips of his toes.

Suddenly, a hand was tangled into long, chocolate tresses as Sasuke made Neji's body bend backwards even more, as the Uchiha groaned out words that the Hyuuga had not been able to clearly hear over his own moans and noises, before Neji felt a hot, thick substance rushing inside of him, splashing against his soft insides as the Anbu continued to bounce atop Sasuke's pulsating, spurting cock.

Sasuke quivered, breathing in an uneven pattern, as he continued to empty himself inside of his writhing, gasping lover within his embrace, but his glazed eyes were able to see as Neji finally screamed towards the ceiling and came in multiple, jagged streaks of come that spattered across his pallid, toned abdomen, painting over the Hyuuga's already glistening flesh and making him look even more sinfully arousing to the Uchiha's fading senses.

With one final thrust inside of Neji's fluttering, sopping wet entrance, Sasuke pulled out his softening member, and used his hands already wrapped around Neji's lower back and shoulders to usher him in closer and to sit properly before him, the Hyuuga noticeably easy to maneuver as the long-haired shinobi's body was completely lax and sated beneath his mindful touches.

Both men were panting softly as they faced each other with boneless bodies and pleasantly void minds, but Sasuke was the first to act as he brought up both of his hands to Neji's face, affectionately brushed away the stray stands of his hair from his sweating face, and then kissed him hard on his lips.

The kiss was kept simple and Neji reciprocated Sasuke's brief fierceness before both of them separated their mouths so that the avenger could speak to him.

"You know…" Sasuke spoke quietly, trying to use his typical phrasing in speaking with the young man in his arms even though they both knew that things were on a completely new level between them, "…now I'm not going to want to let you go…ever."

Neji swallowed down the spit that had collected in the back of his throat before smiling tiredly at the passionate, but rarely soulful raven before him, the intensity of the softly spoken words not losing itself on the knowing Hyuuga who was well aware of the Uchiha's marred background.

"Is that right…"Neji said a bit light-heartedly, his general euphoria making such a conversation even more tender and meaningful to him as he basked in their shared warmth, their shared soul in this precious but solemn moment, "…then, I'll have to make sure you can still hold onto me while we sleep."

With a pleased smile on his attractive face, Sasuke watched with drowsy eyes as Neji maneuvered off of the his lap and over to his side so he may lie down on his stomach with no apparent concern whatsoever to the sticky fluid still streaked across his skin as he did so.

The side of his head nestled comfortably on top of a pillow with his arms framing around the soft, cotton accessory; Neji licked his dry lips before reaching forward a hand to the relaxed, raven-haired male beside him and gently seizing the wrist closest him.

Sasuke let Neji pull him over towards his lying form until he took the initiative and slowly settled his weight down on top of the Anbu's strong, smooth back, placing his raven head on top of one of his shoulder blades as he used his fingers to collect all of Neji's hair and drape it over the opposite shoulder, exposing the back of the Hyuuga's neck and the roots of his chocolate mane.

As comfortable as he honestly was, Sasuke could not help but lift his head up so he may look over his beloved shinobi once more, watching as Neji's profile was kept serene and peaceful as he had his eyes closed and features relaxed, and the Uchiha adoringly placed a solid kiss to the top of Neij's shoulder, loving how their naked bodies seemed to meld seamlessly together no matter what.

Neji smiled from the soothing kiss to his shoulder, feeling the cloud-like coaxing of sleep overwhelming his fatigued and satisfied senses in the most of extraordinary of ways, like he could finally find some genuinely recuperative sleep now that he had experienced what he had with the elusive Uchiha, as he welcomed the weight that settled gently over his eyes.

"Neji," Sasuke whispered to the pale-eyed beauty beneath him, knowing that the Hyuuga was vastly on his way to going to sleep as the raven could feel the Anbu's muscles loosen up even more beneath his own body, as he continued with impossible solace and importance that the stoic avenger had never once tapped into before now, while he confessed, "…you…make me regret every decision I've ever made…up until now."

_Author's Note_: Jeeze, I think it's an official thing now in the Naruto manga: Sasuke has completely lost his marbles lol. Oh well; I'll keep writing him in my twisted yaoi fics just the same. XD Drop me a line and tell me what you think about Chapter Four and such, yeah? Thanks.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The next morning…

Sasuke Uchiha woke up to the muffled, barely audible sounds of his teammates talking from the next room over, the avenger having to blink his rare eyes a few times before recognizing that they were, in fact, talking about him and Neji, failing to be quiet as Karin and Suigetsu had sporadic moments of saying something particularly loudly to the other.

Neji Hyuuga.

Sasuke smiled softly as he cast his onyx eyes on the pale, toned form on which he had been sleeping, the Anbu officer's lengthy mane strewn wildly around him across the light-colored pillows and blankets, matching the hue of his skin but contrasting greatly with his chocolate hair, as he continued to sleep soundly on his stomach beneath the Uchiha's watchful eye.

Desiring to hear Neji's pleasantly deep and raspy voice and see his stunning, lilac eyes, Sasuke affectionately brought his lips down to the back of his neck and placed a slow, chaste kiss to the feather-soft flesh there, a hand coming up to comb his fingers through the Hyuuga's hair at the base of his skull while he did so.

"…mmph…"Neji murmured cutely as he sniffed in a bit of air and was obviously roused awake from his slumber even though he tried to merely snuggle against his pillows once more to go back to sleep.

"Neji…"Sasuke said quietly against his lover's shoulder before placing another firm kiss there, knowing that the pale-eyed young man happened to favor that spot being kissed and tended to.

This time around, Neji cleared his throat before opening his sleepy eyes, licking the inside of his mouth for a second, as he became more responsive and aware of the tender, sweet kisses being administered to the back of his neck and shoulder.

"Good morning, Sasuke," Neji whispered warmly, not having his full voice yet upon just waking up, as he also smiled and welcomed the most heavenly method of being woken up for the day as he drew his hands closer to his body in order to eventually push himself off from the floor.

"Morning, Neji," Sasuke replied as he lifted himself off of the Hyuuga's warm, cotton-soft form so that Neji could also sit up and stretch as he was, both men still completely bared in all their natural and well-honed masculine beauty as Sasuke watched Neji groggily push his weight up with his arms.

Impressively long, mocha hair was frazzled and adorably unkempt as Neji sat up straight next to the Uchiha, a delicate but deadly hand coming up to rub gently at a pale, lavender eye as the Hyuuga let the morning settle comfortably around him and his lover.

"Are they talking about us?" Neji suddenly asked, dropping his hand away from his face as he turned his head towards the closed door, having just now picked up on the somewhat heated murmurs of a debate going on in the other room.

Sasuke snorted lightly before reaching out his hands and gathering up Neji's long, dark mane, carefully raking his fingers a few times through the silken tresses to smooth out the rebellious strands, as he spoke his reply.

"I wouldn't worry about them;" Sasuke offered simply as he let go of Neji's hair so that it fell properly down his back, prompting the Hyuuga to turn back towards him with slightly worried, ethereal eyes, "they always fight. It's no big deal."

"I see…"Neji replied thoughtfully, still feeling a bit perturbed that, from what it sounded like, Suigetsu and Karin were still adamantly arguing over who messed up the worst when it came to the Hyuuga that it drove him into the arms of their team leader.

"Oh my God…they must have heard us," the Leaf shinobi realized with pure, embarrassed dread as he placed a hand over his eyes to hide his shame as he could feel his pale face growing hotter, his newly-refreshed mind already able to vividly recall just how deafening he had let his moans get last night whilst he and the Uchiha made love right in this very spot.

However, with a devil-may-care smirk on his handsome, patient face, the avenger wrapped his fingers around Neji's slender wrist and took his hand away from his face, making sure to direct his unique, charcoal-colored eyes straight into his lover's somewhat panicking ones.

"Like I said, don't worry about them. They'll get over it, and besides…"Sasuke provided fairly as he lowered both of their hands and stoked his thumb over Neji's palm, the simple gesture sending multiple sensations of relaxation and affection to the Hyuuga as he parted his lips,"…it's better that they know about this right away rather than later."

"And what exactly is _this_…?"Neji queried with a growing smirk, genuinely finding comfort in the Uchiha's words and physical contact, but still needing to pry him a bit more for information about which he truly was curious.

Sasuke coolly lowered his gaze for a moment, wetting his lips, before regaining Neji's unwavering attention with a quirk of a knowing eyebrow as the Uchiha evidently had made up his mind about something, something that he had been turning and overturning within his thoughts ever since rescuing the untouchable Hyuuga prodigy whom he had never really known during his childhood but felt like he knew better than anyone now.

"…how much I care about you," Sasuke answered flatly, leaving no room for error in his curt, to-the-point rationale as he almost pierced into Neji with the way he gazed strictly at only him.

Neji blanked the instant Sasuke's words had left his mouth, blinking his wide, translucent eyes at the mystifying raven before him, as he also took a moment to break their intense gaze as if he needed to search the surrounding futon for words with which to respond.

"Sasuke, I…" Neji tried but was cut off as Sasuke spoke seriously again, the Hyuuga knowing that this was finally the time for the Uchiha to truly speak his mind; no more side-stepping or dodging with carefully placed smirks and mannerisms – Sasuke needed to tap into his foregone heart and convey what was there.

"It couldn't be helped;" Sasuke continued solemnly, taking his hand away from Neji's so he may lift it up to his porcelain, lovely face and brush some of his shorter, dark-brown locks away from his cheeks, his typically fiery, black gaze having softened in its intensity as the raven appeared to be marveling at nostalgic art, "back when we first met, I thought you were interesting, and when I found you in the forest a few days ago, I knew I wanted for you to be alright."

"I didn't expect it to happen, but everything I've told you has been true," the avenger went on gravely but with careful gentleness in his baritone voice as he slid his fingers down Neji's cheek, across his small, rounded chin, and back up the other smooth cheek so he could lightly cradle the Hyuuga's jaw against his palm,"I think you're beautiful; you know me; and…I love you for it."

Petal-soft lips parted even further as Neji tried desperately to absorb everything the criminal Uchiha was telling him, the raven having brought up their youths, and even now where they had been spending quite a lot of consecutive time together…Sasuke has come to love him.

It was almost too much for the Anbu to comprehend all at once.

Forcing himself not to be so blatantly dumbstruck, Neji licked his drying lips and sighed thoughtfully, an answer having become as clear and bright as day inside his genius mind that no longer tried to pick apart the details of Sasuke's words and simply accept them for what they meant.

However, before the Hyuuga could make the response that burned on the tip of his tongue, repeating over and over inside of his mind, Neji made to ask something else one, final time.

"So, what you're saying is…all this time…last night…"Neji trailed off, not even able to completely fulfill his buffer question to the Uchiha as his nerves had become too far shot at this point to successfully go through with things that he had previously, mentally decided.

"All this time…"Sasuke repeated with a bit of dark, snorted laugh as he briefly shook his head from side to side as his lips curved an even deeper smile upon his stunning face, "…all this time, I was falling in love with you, Neji."

"Sasuke, I…I don't know what to say. No one has ever…said those kinds of things to me before," the long-haired shinobi confessed with a heavy heart, leaning into Sasuke's touch as he closed his troubled eyes and sought out the warmth of the Uchiha's flesh against his own.

"I find that extremely…hard to believe," Sasuke replied almost smartly as he used his gentle hold on his seemingly entranced lover to usher him forward, midnight-hued eyes tracing over every inch of the Hyuuga's angelic features that rivaled his own in the best possible way.

Lips as soft and placid as sakura blossoms floating on top of cool water, met Neji's own as Sasuke pressed their mouths together in a gradual, loving gesture, nothing was rushed, which left everything to be sacred and cherished between the both of them, as Sasuke proved his words' merit by kissing his lover as if he was made out of glass and would shatter should any rougher treatment be administered.

Neji groaned lightly in his throat as Sasuke lingeringly pulled his lips away, the Hyuuga desiring more from the passionate Uchiha, as he hesitated from sitting up straight again from his leaning position.

"Do you want to eat something first or get cleaned up?" the avenger asked out right, obviously not wishing to dwell on everything that had been revealed between them as there were still things to be done and matters to take care of, as he smiled at Neji's dreamy, starry-eyed expression.

"…definitely get cleaned up first," Neji answered back upon accepting Sasuke's switch in gears, mentally registering how he would convey his own, personal thoughts to the Uchiha at a later time, perhaps over a meal, while simultaneously respecting Sasuke's choice to change the subject.

"Good," Sasuke commented with a cocky lift an eyebrow at his naked lover before him, shamelessly eyeing him up and down a few times before standing up to his feet and presenting his hand for the Hyuuga to take.

Neji looked bashfully off to the side for only a split second before placing his own hand inside Sasuke's and letting the stronger Uchiha help in hoisting him off from the futon on the floor.

"Ugh…!"Neji cringed upon standing up, immediately having to bend over slightly as he brought a hand to his lower back, as his face scrunched up in dull but annoying discomfort that made his muscles feel tight and immovable.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked upon seeing the usually proud and elegant young man drop his shoulders and wince noticeably in pain before him.

"Just…a little sore…right now," Neji admitted reluctantly to his raven-haired lover whose hands were mindful against his shoulders to make sure that the Hyuuga did not plummet to the ground or any such unbecoming nonsense.

Despite the situation of the Konoha ninja being in a bit of pain right now, Sasuke could not help but smirk above Neji's bowed head, truthfully feeling a bit of pride swell inside of him that he had been the reason for the Hyuuga's apparently worn-out state from their zealous bouts of lovemaking the night prior.

"Come on…I got you," Sasuke said kindly as he wrapped a supportive arm around Neji's slim waist and directed them both towards the familiar bathroom at the other end of the room.

"Those futons can be washed, right?" Neji asked completely out of the blue as he and the Sharingan user stepped inside the adequately-sized bathroom, the Hyuuga standing a little ways back while Sasuke padded over to the bathtub to begin drawing them a bath.

At this, Sasuke laughed a genuine, hearty laugh, filling the white-tiled and beige-painted washroom with his brief, but gloriously jovial sounds of positivism, before he cast his amused expression at Neji's equally smiling and beautiful form.

"I don't know; I think that after last night, someone should just go ahead and burn them," Sasuke jabbed playfully at his long-haired Hyuuga, absolutely loving every time he could bring a bright blush to Neji's high cheekbones as he rolled his pale, milky eyes.

"…your supplies, not mine," Neji dished back out in good humor, the sound of rushing water ringing in their ears, as the Hyuuga glanced at the tub and saw that it was almost at an appropriate level now.

Neji walked to the tub, ready to have all of that warm, soothing water around his achy body, but stopped upon seeing Sasuke approach him, all hard, solid planes of deadly muscle that moved gracefully over one another as he stepped in front of the Hyuuga.

"Let me help you," Sasuke spoke evenly to the pale-eyed young man before him, not waiting for any kind of response before gingerly seizing one of Neji's hands with his own and lifting it up high, prompting the Leaf ninja some leverage to maneuver over the edge of the tub and inside of it with careful, supported steps.

Neji stilled upon sitting down inside the bath, the water being a bit hotter that what he had expected, but the Hyuuga gradually relaxed every bone and fiber in his body as he visibly released all of the tension out of his shoulders and neck with a soft, appreciative sigh, the ends of his lengthy, chocolate mane collecting on the surface of the water like an endless, swirling pattern.

The hot water sloshed only slightly as Sasuke settled himself in the bath behind Neji, one powerful leg on either side of Neji's sitting, smaller form, as the Uchiha reclined against the end of the chilly, white tub and let the refreshing, rejuvenating water work its magic on them both.

Through sated, half-lidded eyes the color of midnight, Sasuke watched from behind as Neji created a rich lather from a tiny bar of soap in his hands and began applying the bubbly suds all over his chest and arms, scrubbing the soap into his flesh with his fingers, taking away dried sweat and replacing it with the sweet smell of spring flowers.

"Neji," Sasuke prompted with a steady but inquisitive voice, finding it rather calming to watch the famed Neji Hyuuga bathe comfortably before him as he was.

"Yes?" Neji asked, turning his head to a side so Sasuke could at least see his profile while he spoke to him, the Byakugan user's hands never ceasing in the washing of his own slim body in the process.

"You said that no one had ever confessed to you the way I did; what did you mean by that?" Sasuke prodded tactfully to the scrubbing, soapy Hyuuga before him, watching as the Konoha ninja carefully scooted backwards a few inches before slowly reclining his upper body as well.

Sasuke smiled as Neji got comfortable leaning against his chest, the Hyuuga's body warm and fresh against his own as their hands seemed to naturally come together as Neji took one of the Uchiha's hands inside both of his and began massaging his calloused palm and fingers.

"Well, I was seeing Tenten for a while, but we sort of broke it off after I got accepted into the Anbu black ops…she said she 'didn't want to be with heartless killer'…"Neji reflected almost ruefully as he automatically dug his thumbs into Sasuke's palm, wringing out tension the Uchiha had not even known was there as Sasuke listened to Neji speech and instantly surmised that even though he could not honestly remember who Tenten was, he already hated her guts for saying what she had to the Hyuuga.

"You're not a heartless killer, Neji," Sasuke said solidly as he watched Neji place his hand back into the water, blink thoughtfully for a moment, and then reach to his opposite side to retrieve the avenger's other hand to begin massaging it as well.

"Pretty soon after that, however, Kiba Inuzuka, of all people, asked me out," Neji continued in a mild voice as he squeezed the Uchiha's other hand inside of his own, purposefully applying pressure to the thicker muscles that, as a shinobi himself, Neji knew got cramped up on occasion.

"And…? What did you say to him?" Sasuke asked curiously, too relaxed with subtle, peaceful pleasure from Neji's strong fingers digging into his hands to be troubled that his Hyuuga had just mentioned another man.

"I only went out with him a few times…I never, I _couldn't_ let him get too close to me, though," Neji finished his story as he also finished massaging Sasuke's hands for him, favoring instead to tip back his head and rest it along the raven's collarbone as he relished in how he could feel every one of Sasuke's rippled muscles along his abdomen at his back.

"Why was that, Neji? He obviously likes you…"Sasuke felt the need to press the long-haired shinobi for more information in spite of the quiet, tranquil moment that they both were deeply immersed in with the hot water soaking into their toned, pale bodies and making even time itself stop for solely them to continue enjoying the other.

"I just didn't…want him to touch me. It felt wrong," Neji confessed soulfully to the adamantly listening raven behind him, breathing even slower with more calmness seeping into him, as he felt Sasuke run his hands up his arms and back down again, wetting them with more warm water as he did so.

"You let me touch you…" Sasuke said in his low, hushed timber upon dipping his head down and letting his words puff into mocha-colored tresses before placing a kiss to the side of Neji's head as he delivered a little squeeze of his fingers to Neji's moist biceps.

Neji visibly shuddered the moment he had felt Sasuke's baritone words flutter through his hair, his mind already piecing together how truthful they had been as well, as the Hyuuga felt a myriad of butterflies relentlessly flitter inside of his stomach at the realization that he had been letting Sasuke touch him and be with intimately close to him all this time…because he had wanted it to be so.

"I suppose I do…"Neji cooed lightly, feeling as if he was being swallowed up in some wonderful dream that felt too good for words as slipped his eyes closed and welcomed the way the enigmatic Uchiha nuzzled through his hair as he kept his hands firm and possessive on either of Neji's arms.

"How's your body?" Sasuke asked half-seriously, half-cheekily as he trailed his fingers down into the water and over Neji's hands that rested comfortably on his thighs, catching how the Hyuuga's light-colored eyes gradually opened upon hearing his question.

Neji briefly licked his lips before cautiously turning around in his spot, mindful of the surrounding water that he did not want to splash over the sides of the bathtub as he shifted his weight to face the grinning Uchiha, an idea of exactly how the Hyuuga wished to respond so such a question more than crystal clear inside his mind.

"…ready to handle more of you," Neji responded pseudo-evilly as he wrapped his dripping, slender arms around Sasuke's neck and drew him in for a heated, desperate kiss, the raven's earlier words about beauty and love ringing soundly in his brain as he felt Sasuke respond to him immediately.

Sasuke leaned forward, enraptured by how feisty his Hyuuga could be with him and their sex at any given moment, as he wrapped his tattooed arms around Neji's back but only to slide his hands down the silken flesh as he brought his tingling palms around each of Neji's inner thighs that he squeezed in a light, suggestive hold.

Neji moaned into their increasingly passionate kiss, his head tilting over to a side as he pressed his lips back onto Sasuke's mouth at another angle, his body involuntarily trembling from all of the Uchiha's scalding hot touches to his skin that spoke volumes to the Hyuuga as to just how much his lover wanted him right now, craving exactly what he was gripping.

Feeling more than excited by Sasuke's ferocious desire that practically radiated off of him, Neji freed a hand from around Sasuke's neck, trailed it fleetingly down the Uchiha's broad, lightly-scarred chest and abdomen, until the Hyuuga seized his growing arousal inside his palm.

The raven-haired young man shuddered against Neji's lips for a moment, prompting Neji to also slide his tongue inside Sasuke's warm, wet cavern as he slowly moved his fist up and down along the Uchiha's hardening length, the Hyuuga absolutely overwhelmed in how much control he had over someone so powerful and feared.

Underneath the hot water, Sasuke's cock filled with blood, as the Uchiha yearned to bring Neji's body closer to his own as he let the Hyuuga taste every corner of his mouth before lustfully plunging his own tongue inside his long-haired lover's cavern, eager to perform the same mind-warping ministrations to him.

Upon feeling his spiky-haired lover sweep his tongue skillfully over his own, Sasuke's warm, supple mouth over his own making him feel like he could crumble right there in the clear water, Neji tightened his hold on the Uchiha's swollen member, both men moaning softly into their fiery kiss as they experienced the other's addictive touch and taste once more.

However, as soon as Sasuke felt Neji leisurely rub his thumb over his ultra-sensitive slit, Sasuke swiftly brought a hand to Neji's wrist and stilled his actions, their kiss ending naturally as Sasuke's narrowed, charcoal eyes were already waiting for milky lilac to meet them.

"You're going to make me insane if you keep doing that," Sasuke warned breathlessly, his hand around Neji's wrist hesitating to let go as the Uchiha genuinely loved being able to hold onto such a beautiful, intelligent creature no matter what the circumstances.

"Maybe that's…exactly what I want," Neji replied smartly as his tempting lips curved into a heart-stopping smile as he beheld how Sasuke was practically having to physically restrain himself from tackling him against the bottom of the tub right now.

Suddenly, before too much of anything else could be comprehended by the Hyuuga prodigy's genius mind, Sasuke's hands were instantly grabbing onto the bottoms of his thighs and he was being hoisted up and out of the water as if he weighed nothing.

Cool, clean shower tiles met Neij's back as the Hyuuga realized that Sasuke had him seductively pinned against the wall by holding onto either of his legs and pressing his own, flawless body so hard against the Leaf ninja's that it prevented him from sliding down.

"Remember, Neji…you asked for it," Sasuke commented in a gravelly voice as he slammed their lips together, their breath meshing hotly in between them as Neji's hands encouragingly trailed down Sasuke's chest and around to his trim, taut sides so he may squeeze and paw at his lover's smooth flesh.

Then, Neji broke off their kiss as his lips parted wide in a silent scream that ended in him gasping sharply for air, as he felt Sasuke's forcefully grind their slippery, velvety arousals together, the sheer, dire urgency coming from the Uchiha to experience pleasure with the Hyuuga all but making the latter lose his mind against that shower wall as he curled his toes in absolute amazement.

"Neji…do you have any idea what you do to me…"Sasuke murmured somewhat incoherently as he tipped his raven head back and ground his sex against his lover's hips once more, his nerve-endings feeling like they were on fire inside of his body with the way Neji was moaning in building, unavoidable pleasure for him while he unconsciously scratching his nails down Sasuke's sides as he let he Uchiha have his way with him.

The long-haired shinobi was positive at this point that all of this had to have been a dream as he felt Sasuke carefully set his legs down so that his feet made contact with the bottom of the bathtub, before the Uchiha used painstakingly lingering movements in lowering his body to be down on his knees in front of his deliciously wanton and hazed lover.

Sasuke deftly pulled the chained plug out of the tub now that he was crouched down beside it, letting their warm bathwater gush down the drain along with all of their previous pretenses, the transparent worries that they had carried until recently, before directing his merciless gaze back up the slender lines of heavenly crafted muscle and sinew that contoured his lover's long, taut form until he looked straight into his Neji's precious face.

"Understand this now, Neji…all of this…all of you…"Sasuke purred erotically as he ran his hands across the Hyuuga's narrow hipbones and around to his firm ass which he gripped possessively, significantly before continuing, "…is mine."

"H-haa…!"Neji stuttered uncharacteristically upon feeling Sasuke end his sentence with taking the whole head of his hardened cock into his mouth, the raven unabashedly tasting him with generous swirls of his tongue that sent sparks of colorful pleasure to riddle through the standing, trembling Hyuuga.

Fingertips calloused from skilled swordsmanship gingerly trailed up the underside of one of Neji's thighs, prompting said man to lift up the pale limb accordingly and set his foot on top of the wide edge of the tub, inadvertently giving the sultry Sasuke a most erotic view of the Hyuuga's sprawled-out body before him.

The Sharingan user let more and more of Neji's solid length slip into his mouth, his lips squeezing hard here and there as he tongued his way down the rigid flesh but only to purposefully suckle and nip his way back up, every ministration with the intention of making the pale-eyed beauty above him beg with that sweet voice of his.

"…but I think…that's how you prefer it; isn't that right, Neji…?" Sasuke continued with impossibly smooth cruelty in his voice that only served to deliver Neji even more candy-sweet oblivion as he listened intently to the Uchiha's every word and savored each time he felt that talented, warm cavern on his body, "…you…like…the idea of belonging to me…don't you…?"

"Yes!"Neji hollered shamelessly upon feeling Sasuke end that particular sentence by immediately bringing his hand to the Hyuuga's exposed testicles and rolling the sensitive sac diligently in between his fingers.

"When I told you that I wanted to possess you…you wanted that to happen, didn't you?" Sasuke pressed with crushingly sweet words as he ran his lips across Neji's sac before slowly bringing out his pink tongue to run hotly over such a private, sensitive area, already delighting in how Neji had thrown his hands on top of his shoulders to steady himself while he panted and moaned his unbelievable pleasure.

"Ohh…fuck…Sasuke…yes, yes it's true…I've been letting you touch me because I've wanted you to. I love the things you say to me…how you make me feel…a-and…ahh…Sasuke…!" Neji confessed in a heated rush of sensuous words which the very sounds of made Sasuke's cock twitch expectantly in between his well-muscled thighs as the raven remained crouched in front of the Hyuuga, his mouth running slowly up and down his lover's length to distract him from the two fingers he was already working inside of the pale-eyed young man.

Neji's hands tightened on Sasuke's wide, moist shoulders as the Hyuuga tried desperately to keep his body relaxed and to only focus on the way Sasuke dug his tongue into the throbbing base of his cock, coupled with how impossibly sexy the raven looked with all of his lover's member down his throat as he continued pressing his digits inside of his sensitive, textured entrance.

Sasuke released Neji's begging length from his mouth but pressed his lips to the side of the hardened, velvety flesh to begin suckling in a quickened, hurried pace, his intruding fingers curling inside of the panting, gripping Hyuuga before spreading out and gingerly forcing Neji's inner walls to subside and stretch around them.

Neji grit his teeth in a vain attempt to keep from moaning too loudly, the Hyuuga truthfully feeling little discomfort as the hot bath had succeeded in already calming his muscles for him, which meant that the Leaf ninja only experienced taunting, fleeting pleasure from Sasuke's fingers carefully moving around inside of him.

His mind reaching a startling breaking point from the mere flirtation with unspeakable pleasure, Neji brought a determined, no-nonsense hand to the back of Sasuke's raven head, gripping wetted down, black spikes tight in between his fingers as he pulled the Uchiha slightly away from his cock so that Sasuke would look up to meet his furious, wanton gaze.

"Give it to me, Sasuke…I need it…please…" Neji begged erotically, his half-lidded eyes pleading and enthralling to the drowning, committed Uchiha as the raven gracefully stood up to his full height before the softly panting Hyuuga.

Suddenly, Neji was spun around in his spot so that he faced the shower wall that he had just been leaning backwards against for support, his hands automatically raising up and planting firmly against the smooth, cool surface as he felt his handsome, black-haired lover adoringly run his hands heavily down each of Neji's outstretched arms, down his shoulder blades and back, and grip his hips in a pleasingly bruising hold.

Neji obligingly spread his legs a little wider for Sasuke, knowing that the Sharingan user's all-seeing eyes had to have been positively glued to such a movement as the Hyuuga could not help but give his ass a little wiggle in the process.

"Mmn…yes…"Neji purred out upon feeling Sasuke lightly rub his pulsating cock along the crevice of his ass, the Uchiha simply teasing his lover with his sex and trying to make him vocalize just how much he wanted it before he actually gave it to him.

"Beg for it again…tell me exactly what you want, Neji," Sasuke demanded with candied silk in his voice to his partially bent-over lover, long locks of coffee-colored hair draped over his shoulders and hanging thickly all over his pale, immaculate form, as the rogue ninja continued to rub the underside of his impressive member along Neji's ass as he spoke his sultry, wicked words to him.

"Nng…please…I want to feel you inside of me…I want you to shove that delicious cock of yours into my ass until I come, Sasuke…!" Neji pleaded in his raspy voice, pushing his ass a little harder against Sasuke's member to prove his point, unknowingly causing Sasuke to visibly tremble upon hearing such blunt, sensual language as his own cock leaked a few more drops of precome.

"…fucking hell, Neji…you're mine…!" Sasuke growled hotly before quickly retracting his hips from Neji's supple, perfect ass so that his member lined up with his stretched entrance, and then thrusting his cock deep inside his erotic, lustful lover.

"Ahh…Sasuke…more!" Neji hollered, his fingers having tightened upon the tiled shower wall before him as he felt his raven-haired lover waste no time in creating a hurried, deep-set pace of pushing and pulling his heavy cock in and out of Neji's channel, the Hyuuga immediately taking to moaning in between his outstretched arms as a result.

"God…Neji, I could…do this with you forever…"Sasuke rasped breathlessly, the brutal strength behind his thrusts into the Hyuuga causing both men's hips and thighs to jerk forward each time as the raven filled Neji's ass over and over again, both being instantly satisfied to be joined sensually with the other once more as they effortlessly gave into everything that they felt, every time their blood rushed from another miraculous current of pleasure.

"Haa…ohh…shit…ahh…!"Neji could only voice from the frantic pace at which they were making love, his touch with reality easily being forsaken whilst in the throes of his ultimate passion with the one man that he had ever let get this close to him, to really know him and experience everything he could be, as he relished in every, single time Sasuke's cock pounded inside his entrance and struck his prostate in the most mind-shattering of ways.

Needing desperately to feel more of his lover's smooth, soft skin against his own while they remained connected as they were, Sasuke slid his hands up from Neji's hips to his flat stomach, and gently pulled the long-haired shinobi back against his own chest and frame, Sasuke's hips and Neji's ass never ceasing in grinding sensually together while they made the transition.

Sasuke let Neji lean heavily against him as he continued thrusting his hips up against the delicate curve of Neji's firm ass, rapidly sliding his throbbing arousal in and out of Neji's stretched, sopping wet entrance as he kept his hands pressed flat and hard against the toned planes of Neji's stretching stomach, the Hyuuga's creamy flesh warm and intoxicating to every one of the Uchiha's senses.

"Tell me you love it, Neji…nnh…tell me how much you love me doing this to you…"Sasuke cooed in a timbered, thick voice, his breath ghosting over Neji's shoulder, as the Hyuuga kept one arm outstretched to brace against the shower wall while his other had trailed up to the back of Sasuke's head, fingers tangling in silken, black locks as Neji encouraged his lover with tiny, shrill tugs.

"Mmn…oh my God, Sasuke…I…nnh…it feels too good, I can't take it…"Neji beseeched a bit mindlessly, his brain too saturated with rich, enveloping pleasure to truly understand exactly what the Uchiha was asking of him as his gripping hand pulled at short, midnight-hued tresses as felt Sasuke's warm groin grind deliciously against his ass with each, frantic thrust he made.

"Say it…tell me what I want to hear…"Sasuke begged breathlessly as he lowered his mouth to Neji's shoulder and bit down upon the soft flesh hard in between his teeth, marking such pale skin intentionally, as he tightened his arms around his moaning, jerking lover.

"Sasuke…!"Neji hollered once more, his own hands positively dying to reach down in between his own legs to pleasure his weeping, bouncing member, but the Hyuuga's ecstasy-soaked mind reacted even faster than that, "…I love it…I love it when you're inside of me, and I love…haa…!"

"Say it!" Sasuke growled again, delivering one particularly violent thrust up inside his lover's quivering entrance as he purposefully moved his hands to Neji's chest and pinched both of his nipples in between his thumb and forefingers, knowing that the Anbu officer specifically liked a small amount of dull-edged pain to mix seamlessly in with his pleasure to deliver something incredible for the both of them to share.

"I love _you_! I love you, Sasuke!" Neji screamed at last, his back arching as his whole body shivered dramatically from Sasuke's ever-attentive ministrations to his sensitive flesh that made his brain temporarily shut down and his cock start to shoot his glistening, translucent essence onto the bottom of the tub before his feet.

Neji hurriedly brought a hand down to his spurting cock, pumping it in a tight fist to release as much of his come as he could, as he heard Sasuke whisper his name from behind him, before the Uchiha's hands slid slowly down his body as the raven's larger, powerful body shuddered in overwhelming pleasure while he came long and hard inside of Neji's ass, filling him with his thick, smooth essence as his thrusts became much slower, much more savoring of everything the decorated Konoha shinobi meant to him.

Both shinobi stood still and unmoving on weakened legs inside the slippery, porcelain bathrub, their barely-audible pants for air the only thing to let them know that they were still attached to this earth, as they relished in their hard-earned moment of complete fulfillment and satisfaction, each man genuinely feeling the fibers of their esoteric bond strengthening between them, almost to the point of being something tangible that they could hold in their hands and feel in their heart.

"…I love it when you do that, too," Neji panted heavily before making a small, knowing joke, a lazy, sated smile gracing his features as he relaxed completely against the sturdy planes of muscle that made up the avenger's statuesque body behind him, both men unwilling to move away from the other just yet as something infinitely important had been finally realized and said aloud between the two of them, changing everything.

"Say it again to me, baby…what you said before," Sasuke said in a low, solemn voice, the raven wrapping his arms gently around Neji's torso as he rested the side of his head against the back of the Hyuuga's chocolate brown one, simply cradling the older male in his embrace as they both cherished their weightless euphoria and dawning happiness that peaked into both of their very souls in this moment.

Neji's smile only grew across his blissfully tranquil face upon hearing Sasuke's quiet request, as he placed his hands on top of Sasuke's tattooed forearms that were draped across his naked stomach, and nuzzled his head a little more against the Sharingan user's short, inky locks.

"I said I love you, Sasuke…and I meant it," Neji began with staggering simplicity in his voice, his words, his meaning, as he confessed as if it were the easiest of concepts to handle, "…everything you said to me when we woke up, it was like…hearing my own thoughts said back to me; but unlike you, I was afraid of what I was feeling, so I chose not to say anything…until now."

"Neji…"Sasuke purred appreciatively, lingeringly freeing his arms from around the Hyuuga's body so that the latter would turn around and face him while they spoke of something so important, revitalizing, yet foreign.

Neji knowingly turned around in his spot and was instantly met with beautiful, half-lidded onyx eyes, eyes that praised only him, saw only him right now, as Sasuke blinked slowly at the Hyuuga's regal face and form, both unfortunate men feeling as if something wonderful was inching its way into their lives as the avenger brought both of his hands to either side of the Anbu officer's face.

Milky lavender eyes slipped closed from the unbelievable warmth and comfort that the Sharingan user's hands always seemed to bring him, as Neji gingerly placed his hands on either of Sasuke's hips to hold him close, their naked, glowing bodies easily growing closer together amidst such small confines and heavy, salvaging atmosphere.

Instead of kissing him straight away, Sasuke slowly closed his eyes as well, feeling Neji's frame press soothingly against his own, as he gently brought the side of his parted lips to one of the Hyuuga's pale cheeks.

Neji's feather-light hold on him became lighter still as the Uchiha elegantly swept his sensitive lips across Neji's cheek, the raven obviously valuing every, subtle thing about the Hyuuga that he now felt truly belonged to only him, as he carefully brought his mouth over the long-haired male's tingling lips.

His fatal hands still cradling Neji's face, Sasuke and Neji kissed the other's lips with such care, such meaning, that it threatened to bring a somber tear to the Uchiha's rare eye in the revelation that he finally had one, in spite of his horrifying, treacherous life, whom he could show affection and care for, and be cared for just the same.

It was a terrifying thought to the avenger, but that thought was extremely ephemeral upon feeling Neji's lips against his own, welcoming him and everything about him as the Hyuuga reciprocated his undemanding love in the most gracious of ways.

X

A few hours later…

"Karin…stop staring at them, would you?!" Suigetsu tried to inform the red-headed young lady with some tact but failed miserably as he ended up bellowing out the rest of his sentence for all to hear.

"Ugh! Shut up, fish-face; I was not staring!" Karin tried to defend herself from her sharp-toothed teammate as all five of the suite occupants sat informally inside the room conjoined to the balcony as they ate brunch.

A bit oblivious to the annoying ruckus going on in front of them, Neji somewhat shyly leaned over closer to Sasuke's sitting form so he may reach up a hand up and pick off a piece of white rice that had stuck to his lover's face.

Sasuke turned his head over towards Neji's purposefully leaning form, a small smile curving his luscious lips as he continued chewing his mouthful of rice, as he watched the long-haired shinobi slip the tiny grain of rice into his own mouth before craning his head up even more towards the raven for a kiss.

Sasuke paused in his chewing to accept his lover's simple kiss, an adorable, rare smile still gracing his handsome features as a pleased Neji sat up properly again and the raven went back to his bowl of rice.

"Alright…now who's staring?!" Karin's shrill voice cut through the air, immediately making the sword-wielding, white-haired man cringe theatrically from the sheer tonality of it.

"Oh, come on…that was cute!" Suigetsu reasoned childishly to the lone woman of the group before going back to his skewered fish that lie on a plate before him and taking a huge, ravenous bite of it.

Juugo said nothing as he continued to finish his meal in silence, knowing right along with his other two teammates about the alleged relationship between his leader and the pale-eyed young man, and the kind-eyed giant was genuinely satisfied in that Sasuke appeared to be the happiest he had been in a very long time.

"Suigetsu…you're so gross," Karin commented about her fellow teammate once more, now choosing to insult his eating habits which did look exponentially more menacing than they should due to the razor sharp teeth that filled his mouth.

"Hey…you're gross, and another thing is that…" Suigetsu shot back poorly, his mouth still full of rice and fresh-water fish as his rebuttal died in his throat as all of the other Team Hebi members now looked intently upon their leader and his beautiful lover with unwavering attention.

A hair-tie in between his white teeth, Sasuke used his hands to pull Neji's lengthy, chocolate mane into a pony-tail at the base of his neck before expertly freeing a hand to retrieve the elastic band and twist it around the thick mane before he lost his hold on it, Neji having been trying to continue eating the whole time Sasuke tended to his hair.

_Crash…!_

"…wow…"Suigetsu said, shocked at the endearing sight of his fearless Uchiha leader actually caring about someone else, no one noticing that Karin had dropped her tea cup and that the hot beverage was currently staining the flooring.

"Oh…crap!" Karin finally realized that the tiny ceramic cup was no longer in her hands but shattered on the floor before her as she hopped up to her feet.

"Karin, bring some more tea along with a rag," Sasuke instructed his frazzled female teammate sternly, black eyes barely sparing her a glance as the Uchiha continued to watch Neji eat his rice with royal etiquette and now with his hair tied back.

"Right!" Karin affirmed, perhaps needing the strict words to bring her back to reality as she quickly fled the room to find an appropriate cleaning agent and spare rag.

"So…so, Sasuke…what are…I mean, it seems like you're in a good mood, ne?" Suigetsu struggled to create some sort of small talk with the distracted Uchiha, feeling a bit bold to do so as no one had seen the stony avenger looked so…carefree.

"I think I have a right to be, finally," Sasuke responded back to his grinning teammate quite cryptically; Neji, however, catching onto his meaning straight away.

"Well, uh…Neji, are you going to…come with us, then?" Suigetsu stumbled through such a heavy-hitting question to the Anbu officer, regretting it the instant he saw the Hyuuga's face totally blank from forming an answer as his genius mind, no doubt, was already overloading with countless possibilities and repercussions.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!" Karin suddenly shouted from the corridor as she come running back inside the plain, opened room.

"What is it?" the raven prompted coolly of his teammate, finding that he did not like one bit the way the red-headed female kept glancing over at Neji before speaking in spite of her racing heart and haggard breathing.

"There's…Anbu blacks ops from Konoha everywhere…three groups of two-man cells…they're closing in on this area fast!" she reported at last, her tiny form a little hunched over as she fought to catch her breath as the chakra-sensing female had obviously performed some fast scouting work of her own so she would have accurate information with which to come back to Sasuke.

Everyone immediately stood up from their spots.

"Two-man cells…they're looking for me! I'm certain of it; there were no more missions in this area for a while, so they must be…" Neji realized with increasing panic and dread, turning towards his raven-haired lover with wide, frightened eyes, eyes that were pleading for something, anything…

X

Twenty, difficult minutes later, Juugo, Karin, Suigetsu, and Sasuke all stood in a line as Neji, dressed in his black Anbu pants, sleeveless shirt, grey vest, and with bandages wrapped around his forearms and hands, made to stand in front of the orange-haired giant first.

Juugo extended out Neji's hawk mask which the latter accepted with growing remorse as he felt the familiar, hard material in his bandaged hands once more.

"Good-bye, Juugo. It was nice to meet you," Neji offered to the bi-polar ex-prisoner, along with his right hand, which the giant accepted indifferently and shook it once as he made a noise low in his throat that probably meant that he felt the same way.

Neji stepped towards Karin and extended a hand out to her as well.

Karin's small face behind her glasses was scrunched up in grief and building tears as she slipped her hand inside Neji's bigger one, the Hyuuga elegantly bringing up the back of her hand to his chin where he placed a small, light kiss to her skin.

"Neji, I'm really going to miss you. We didn't…even have that much time together," Karin said with woe in her high-pitched voice as her control on her sobs gradually deteriorated.

"I know. I'll miss you, too," Neji replied to the sorrowful female before letting go of her shaking hand and stepping towards the next person in the line.

"It's not fair! You just joined our group…!" Suigetsu cried out as he threw his arms around Neji's neck, hugging him tightly as the Hyuuga hesitated at first but then placed his hands on the white-haired man's sides and patted him in good faith.

"Thank you, Suigetsu," Neji responded in a hushed tone to the crying man as he had to politely slip away from the sharp-toothed man's embrace and move along to the one man whose good-bye was going to be the hardest of them all.

"Sasuke…"Neji began, his voice a collection of airy, pained syllables, but was instantly cut off by his lover.

"Don't;" Sasuke said firmly as he briefly closed his charcoal-colored eyes, perhaps to try to imagine that Neji was not there and that this was not happening to him, before he slowly opened them up again with much more heart-breaking misery present in their midnight depths,"…stay…stay with me."

Neji sucked in a great deal of air into his lungs, holding it along with Sasuke's shattering expression for as long as he could before he sighed out his air through his nose and looked downtrodden to the answerless ground.

"I can't," Neji said glumly, hating himself for the evident pain in Sasuke's voice, for the scarring upon his own heart that he could feel even now, for anything that Sasuke might do in the future from all of this.

"…but…!"Neji quickly voiced incompletely before throwing a hand to the back of Sasuke's neck and tugging him in close, placing his lips right next to the Uchiha's ear as he whispered a simple statement to his lover that no one else in the room was able to hear.

From over Neji's shoulder, Sasuke's eyes slowly grew wide as he listened to his lover, before the Hyuuga lingeringly slid his hand down from Sasuke's neck to the front of his chest, a place where he had found astounding rest and relaxation not so long ago.

"Promise me?" Neji asked with a distressed yet hopeful expression gracing his pale features, an evident struggle for the noble Hyuuga in the face of so much crucial discomfort currently riddling his body and making him tremble.

"…I promise," Sasuke whispered at last upon getting over his initial shock, closing his eyes once more, committing what Neji had said to him to memory, as his chest burned where Neji was still gently touching him.

"Good-bye…Sasuke," Neji said with a horridly clenched throat and tears welling up around his enchanting eyes as he forced himself away from the temporarily stunned Sharingan user as he turned on his heel and proceeded to step quickly out of the vicinity.

"Wait!" Sasuke called out after his lover, surprising everyone in the room, including himself, as Sasuke hurriedly rushed across the small distance that Neji had put in between them as the Hyuuga turned back to face him.

Sasuke wet the inside of his drying mouth before calmly bringing up a hand and softly jabbing two of his fingers against Neji's exposed, branded forehead, the Hyuuga, again, lifting up a hand to the area Sasuke had just assaulted with a puzzled look on his face.

"Foolish Hyuuga…"Sasuke repeated the familiar words to his lover once more, always feeling a bit of Itachi's bright presence within the darkened world whenever he had the opportunity to mimic his beloved older brother's affectionate actions and words.

"Oh!" Neji realized suddenly, dropping his hand from his forehead and deftly pulling out his Konoha headband from one of his back pouches, the cloth and metal accessory being routinely placed across his green-colored seal and tied at the back underneath his mocha hair.

Sasuke watched as Neji finished securing his headband before the latter brought his hands to his eyes and swiped at his revealing tears, and the Uchiha absolutely could not restrain himself any longer as he wrapped his arms around the Hyuuga's shivering form and squeezed him tight.

Bandaged hands came up to Sasuke's back, fisting the thick, white material there as Neji quietly wept against Sasuke's shoulder, vowing to himself that he would never forget the way the avenger was cradling the back of his head with one hand while his other held fast and steady around his waist, completely adhering both of their bodies together amidst such a sorrowing time.

"I love you," Sasuke whispered to the long-haired shinobi in his arms, his words sounding more like a desperate prayer that a dying man might make right before he accepts the inevitable despite how unfair or malicious it might be on the other side.

Neji lifted his tear-stained face up from Sasuke's shoulder upon hearing such words that pleaded hopelessly with him one, last time, as he directed his light, lilac gaze straight into Sasuke's midnight-colored orbs, knowing that he deserved to see whatever pain that was there upon doing so.

"I love you, too. Please don't forget…"Neji breathed before both met pressed their lips together in a chaste, soul-shattering kiss that spoke of impossible apologies and extraordinary promises, their previous words that had completely turned the other man's world upside down and finally gave their unfortunate lives something to hope for, something that had made it all somehow seem worthwhile.

_Author's note_: Uh-oh. It seems the proverbial crap has hit the technical fan, no? XD What did Neji whisper in Sasuke's ear? What is going to happen between them?? Why is Karin still alive?!?! Stay tuned to receive the answers to most of those questions lol.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Six months later…

Neji Hyuuga stood amidst the slowly falling, feather-soft snow that blanketed the open atmosphere in a surreal and quiet white throughout the Land of Lightening, the long-haired shinobi overlooking the majestic, mountainous vastness before his eyes as he stood peacefully on the surface of the tallest hill.

The Hyuuga, wearing his usual white and black robes underneath a thick, ground-length cream-colored coat, took a deep, cleansing breath of the frosty, February air, having always found some sort of natural solace in the snow as he kept the hood of his coat lowered so that he could feel the tiny, watery snowflakes land on his cheeks.

Releasing the air from his lungs with a bit of a sigh, Neji could not help but reflect on the past six months, everything that had placed him in this exact spot now, as he moved his gloved fingers around inside his coat pockets while he slightly dropped his light-colored gaze to the lower, much more snow-covered scenery below the cloud-peaking ranges of hills and cliffs.

Neji could recall exactly what had happened the moment he had fled from Sasuke that horrible day long ago, having had to channel every ounce of his inner discipline to push himself out of the raven's pleading embrace and rush out of the suite and towards his Anbu comrades whom he had spotted through the trees with his Byakugan.

Upon meeting up with one of the two-man cells, one man had hurriedly spoken to him while the other used his wireless transceiver to inform the other squads that they had found the missing Hyuuga and that their mission was completed.

"Neji! Neji, are you alright?! Where the hell have you been?" the dog mask-wearing Anbu officer had practically shouted at the out-of-breath Hyuuga who was wearing his hawk mask as well as he approached them.

Kiba.

The long-haired Anbu black ops caught his breath and swallowed down some spit that had collected in the back of his throat, barely flinching when the Anbu Inuzuka had reached out a gloved, clawed hand and seized his shoulder in a concerned, affectionate gesture while he had spoken to him.

"Those enemy ninja my team had been scouting, they…had been after my eyes all along and they were experts in toxicology;" Neji had explained to his worried comrade and old friend as he lied about the conclusion of his story, "…luckily, after it was all over, a…family of four took me in and treated my wounds. I'd been staying with them ever since."

"A family found you? And, they didn't try to turn you into the police or anything?" Kiba had pressed for more detailed information as he peered though his mask intently upon his comrade's equally masked face, still holding tightly onto Neji's shoulder to keep him planted in that same spot while they had spoken.

"No. The…father was very kind to me. They made sure I was fed and taken care of, and the uh…little sister actually braided my hair for me. I was perfectly safe," Neji explained in a bittersweet manner, his stomach clenching in pain while his chest swelled with the fresh memories of what had really happened between him and Team Hebi.

"Man…you really gave us all heart attacks, you know that, right?!" Kiba had joked in good but serious humor as he had given Neji's shoulder a hearty pat before dropping his hand, the Hyuuga smirking sadly from behind his porcelain, hawk mask.

"I know, and I apologize. We should leave immediately," Neji had instructed the two Anbu officers who had nodded once before all three of them disappearing into the trees to finally return back to the Leaf Village.

Neji Hyuuga sighed once more as he finally slipped his rare, beautiful eyes closed, this time silently, solemnly, as he chose to momentarily block out the tranquil, snowy images of nature as he could feel his chest start to tighten in an uncomfortable manner as he recalled what had happened approximately two months after that instance had taken place.

The pale-eyed young man had had his lengthy, chocolate tresses freed from his elastic band, his lovely face scrunched up in delicious, sharp-edged pleasure, as he rocked his hips hurriedly on top of Kiba's warm, bared groin, the Hyuuga facing away from the Inuzuka as they both sat perched on top of the latter's large, white bed.

Kiba had had his tanned, lightly-scarred arms wrapped tightly around the slender, moaning Hyuuga, his every pant and groan of pleasure puffing against Neji's pale, slender back, as the Inuzuka held fast onto the Byakugan user while his smaller body had bounced frantically in the dog ninja's lap, every slick, erotic movement making Kiba's cock grind inside of his entrance with every curve of his lower back.

Neji had scratched his nails down either of the Inuzuka's bronzed, muscled thighs upon feeling even more scorching hot pressure build inside of his lower abdomen from their raw, frantic lovemaking, but even then despite all of Kiba's softly spoken words of praise and love to him, the Hyuuga could not stop himself from craving for Kiba to be someone else.

They had always made love with Neji facing away from Kiba, unbeknownst to the fanged shinobi that his temporary lover was picturing endless, midnight-hued eyes and short, spiky locks of hair the same somber color while they had done so, and that particular time on which Neji was reflecting now had been no exception.

However, it had only been another couple of months after that brief period, where Neji Hyuuga had become especially violent in his everyday life, having gradually nurtured harsh outbursts that had become quite random and, on occasion, unstoppable to those around him, totally interrupting his life and relationships, his bonds of trust, and even his duties as a shinobi for the Leaf Village.

Neji opened his eyes, finding that the gentle snowfall was still waiting for him, enveloping him in a whirling, magnificent pattern of sugary, white speckles that caused him to feel no cold, only unimaginable peace, as he swept his gaze across the various mountains out before him once more, mountains and slopes and hills that he knew on a personal level as he has had to trek alongside his Anbu comrades multiple times in the past while executing missions in the Land of Lightening.

Those previous months leading up to now had been extremely difficult for the Hyuuga as his violent tendencies and erratic behavior had prompted the Godaime to order him a temporary reprieve from his Anbu black ops duties in favor of seeking psychological assistance and proper time for rest, the blame for which all neatly falling on his high ranking and long years of service within the elite Anbu.

No one had had any idea about the crushing guilt that he had been struggling with, the razor-sharp pain that would often befall his every fiber should he dwell for too long on his almost unreal time with Sasuke, the horrible weight that had settled in the pit of his stomach every time he had had to lie about something else to Kiba Inuzuka and the rest of his friends.

Neji could still vividly, repentantly remember the distinct moment, while he had been merely sitting quietly inside of his bedroom at the Hyuuga estate, when his mind had utterly broken, his whole inner being as a man and a decorated ninja meeting complete catastrophe, as the Hyuuga had dropped to his knees onto the hardwood flooring, grabbed ruthlessly at his lengthy hair, and shouted at the top of his lungs, sounding like a person meeting an excruciating death at the hands of some faceless killer.

Having staggered back up to his feet, the distraught, breaking Hyuuga had punched a chakra-enhanced hand straight into his wooden chest of drawers, shattering most of the expensive, solid piece of furniture, before using both hands to pick up what had been left intact around his hand to throw mightily across his room, having needed to see it obliterated against that pristine, white wall with a terrifying crash.

"Neji! Neji, what are you doing?! What's wrong…?!" Hinata Hyuuga had quickly rushed to her cousin's bedroom doorframe, light-purple eyes growing wide the instant she saw her beloved family member screaming as if being murdered while the slightly older male Hyuuga overturned his large bed so that it also crumbled against another wall and the merciless floor below.

Hinata had not been able to move from her spot clutching onto the doorframe, fear evident in her similar eyes as she had watched her cousin and close, personal friend destroy his room, his belongings, and with such unspeakable rage in his eyes that she nor anyone had ever seen before from the typically calm and collected Anbu officer.

"Get out of the way, Hinata!" came a deeper, gruffer voice from behind the frozen female all of a sudden, Hinata barely able to catch a solid glimpse of her father rushing passed her and stepping quickly behind the rampaging branch family member.

Hiashi Hyuuga had used swift but careful movements to firmly grasp Neji from behind, having caught the younger male's wrists and stilling his struggling, Neji having been out of breath and descending down from his hysterics as his body was suddenly wracked with heavy sobs.

"Shh…it's alright…I got you now…just calm down, Neji," Hiashi had cooed at his trembling, weeping nephew as they both had slowly sank down onto the floor, Neji's destructive arms still being restrained as he simply let his uncle put an end to his emotional fit.

Upon being on their knees on the floor, Hiashi had let go of one of Neji's wrists so he may place his hand comfortingly on top of his nephew's head, merely holding the sobbing, troubled young man in a light hold while Neji had tried desperately to reign in his flooding emotions, his burdening consequences that had finally succeeded in tearing him apart.

For these past six months, Neji had never mentioned Sasuke Uchiha to anyone, not even when telling Kiba the real reason why he had chosen not to be with him anymore as he had failed to meet the dog ninja's infuriated eyes that could not have possibly understood, and it was after his mandated suspension from the Anbu black ops had expired that the Hyuuga had strongly appealed to the Godaime to let him be a part of the first available assassination mission that should present itself.

Neji had put in that request to the Hokage one month ago.

It had taken time, time intricately studying geographical layouts, his own comrades' capabilities, his own specific courses of action, and endless possibilities that may arise, but when the premium moment had arrived for the Byakugan user to calm his mind, steel his jaw, and make his move, he did.

He and two other Anbu black ops had been sent to the far, east end of the Land of Waves where they had been ordered to quietly assassinate the leader of an underground function that served to coerce normal civilians into their ranks to act as decoys and living weapons for their much larger plot of luring shinobi to the watery islands and destroying them blindly.

Neji had specifically asked for an assassination assignment so that he could be sure that he would be the only Anbu present with special seeing capabilities.

Neji had specifically waited until the day he had to even ask for such an assignment because it would mean that he could reach the Land of Lightening in a certain amount of time that that he had calculated beforehand.

Neji had purposefully cut his own shoulder and let the thick drops of his blood splatter around the scene of a fight between some of those underground function members whom he had beaten, having made intricately realistic scuff patterns along the ground so that it appeared that he had been injured or killed and then dragged away from the site.

Neji had purposefully taken along his some of his own clothes and extra money inside of his weapons pouches in place of his actual weapons during this Anbu mission.

And, he had had it all vaguely planned out inside his mind…six months ago to this day.

Neji Hyuuga lifted a brown-gloved hand out of his coat pocket and held it out in front of him, his very mindset and aura that of a man totally in harmony with everything in and about the world at last, as he let the powdery snowflakes gracefully glide towards his palm and turn into minute droplets of water on top of the leather, his eyes relaxed, almost tired, as he watched such a measured phenomena happen.

Suddenly, the Hyuuga male whipped around in his spot, facing towards the collection of snow-covered trees, his keen ears having heard a small branch snap in half against the textured, obvious ground behind him, as his heart and mind raced with infinite scenarios.

There, amidst the grey-colored and white-shadowed trees that practically meshed together like hasty swipes of a skilled paintbrush, Sasuke Uchiha stood perfectly still, his head lowered slightly, perhaps to keep his chin inside the high collar of his black and red cloud-designed cloak that covered nearly all of his entire stature.

Neji had gasped upon initially turning to seek out the source of the noise within the snowy forest and seeing none other than the surviving Uchiha, the Hyuuga immediately noticing that Sasuke's left eye was covered with a white, gauze patch that was threaded across his brow and around his temple to keep it in place as only one, solemn black eye opened to meet his own gaze.

"…Sasuke…you came…"Neji spoke cautiously, full of hope, as he dared to take a step towards the clearly injured, stoic shinobi before him, a shinobi whom he had been thinking about, dreaming about, every day since they had been separated, and was now in front of him this very second.

"Of course I came;" Sasuke reasoned simply but with a bit of apprehension in his words, before continuing to the approaching, careful Hyuuga, "…I didn't forget what you said to me that day."

"_I can't," Neji said glumly, hating himself for the evident pain in Sasuke's voice, for the scarring upon his own heart that he could feel even now, for anything that Sasuke might do in the future from all of this._

"…_but…!"Neji quickly voiced incompletely before throwing a hand to the back of Sasuke's neck and tugging him in close, placing his lips right next to the Uchiha's ear as he whispered a simple statement to his lover that no one else in the room was able to hear._

"_In the Land of Lightening, meet me on the top of the tallest mountain, six months from now…I'll be waiting there for you…"_

Unable to keep moving his feet so slowly towards the handsome, raven-haired male that made his chest feel as if it could burst into pieces just from being in his presence again, Neji ran across the remaining space in between them, his hurrying footsteps crunching against the snow on the ground, until the Hyuuga threw his arms around the Uchiha's neck and hugged the man firmly against his own frame.

"Sasuke…Sasuke, I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I never should have left you…I'm so…sorry…"Neji confessed mournfully into the fabric of the Uchiha's notorious cloak as he felt Sasuke bury his own face on top of Neji's coat-covered shoulder and bring his own hands to the Hyuuga's back.

"Neji…"Sasuke murmured quietly to the trembling, apologizing young man, feeling his previously re-established stoicism and natural indifference towards practically everything in this difficult world start to waver once more, now that he was back inside the arms of his most precious lover and companion, the only other male besides his deceased older brother whom he had let himself love so openly.

The Uchiha had gradually steeled himself upon being subject to the Hyuuga's hasty departure from his world, the minute Neji had had to let go of his arms and rush away from him that day passed was when Sasuke had mentally reminded himself that his was the tainted life of an avenger, never to be dubbed easy at any turn or fashion as he made temporary alliances with some but then killed the others he crossed.

Though, in a glorious, rejuvenating combat to everything he had made himself re-learn over such an emotionally painful time of being apart from the one man whom had confessed his love to him, Sasuke was beginning to feel now the same way that he had all those months ago when he had first acknowledged that he truly cared for the troublesome, long-haired young man beside him.

Half of one year spent fighting nearly impossible fights, dealing with the startling consequences, and constantly hardening his self in the ever-present reality that nothing different was to meet him the next day, Sasuke could, however, almost tangibly feel all of those buried, forlorn pieces of himself…breathe with life again.

Here and now, holding onto the person he had cared for so passionately not so long ago, and who had loved him so much in turn, Sasuke felt lighter, his battle-sharpened mind pleasantly subsiding into a calmer, more sated state that just genuinely appreciated the situation that he had Neji Hyuuga inside his arms once again.

It had been a stifling, unbearable time spent apart from each other, but all of that seemed to not even matter or exist anymore to the quiet, solemn Uchiha as he truly could only register the relief-bearing present while purposefully putting an end to the previous thoughts processes inside his own mind that had once told him that he would never have this kind of chance again.

His heart full but mind finally cleared of internal strife and confusion; Sasuke used his gentle hold on each of Neji's sides to politely pull the distressed young man at arms' length from him, his handsome but partially covered face stony and rigid even though the Hyuuga could tell that the Uchiha was mentally deciding something.

"…forgive me," Sasuke whispered quizzically before hastily punching his right fist squarely into the side of Neji's left cheek, knocking the unsuspecting Byakugan user down to the chilly ground to sprawl out on his side, long, chocolate tresses of hair along and the many folds of his coat scattering everywhere against the plain, white canvas.

Neji blinked owlishly a few times, his jaw aching terribly, as he slowly made to sit up from his spot on the snow-laden ground, his rattled mind only now starting to recognize how Sasuke was saying countless apologies to him as the Uchiha also squatted down in front of him and placed his hands supportively on his arms.

"Neji, I'm sorry about that, I really am…I just…I had to do it…for everything that you've done to me…but I'm sorry," Sasuke spoke quickly to the partially razzed Hyuuga as he helped him move to sit up straight before him, Neji somewhat looking confused and speechless as he did so.

"No, no…it's fine. I…deserved it, so…go ahead and do…what you need to do…I'll take all of it," Neji said gloomily, self-loathingly as he lowered his gaze from Sasuke's piercing, worried stare, the Uchiha's hands lightly gripping his arms feeling extraordinarily comforting despite their topic of conversation.

"No…never again, I promise," Sasuke spoke evenly as he instead brought his fingerless-gloved hands up to Neji's face, cradling the Hyuuga's porcelain features just like how he used to so many times back then, the Uchiha honestly feeling better now that he had gotten that rather personal blow out of the way between them and was truly able to move on with Neji by his side.

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry…I can't tell you how horrible I've felt every day these passed months for what I did to you, and I…"Neji attempted to apologize once more, feeling the need to do so especially since Sasuke was touching him so gently now, comforting him effortlessly, bringing back so many memories and drudging up even more guilt to be felt over his faults.

"Neji, I don't want to hear any more," Sasuke cut the rambling, beautiful Hyuuga off with solid but hushed words as he brushed the pads of his thumbs across each of Neji's high, prominent cheekbones in an appreciative, admiring gesture; his features still as solemn as the falling snow but with evident worry in his one, visible eye; "…but you need to tell me right now if you're planning on leaving again, because…so help me, if you are, Neji…I have half a mind to just kill you right here."

Perhaps it was because shinobi did not interpret death the same way normal people do, in that they saw someone's death as a sort of rite or ritual between he who was to be slain and he who was the slayer; perhaps it was because Neji had been around death for so long that he knew that it did not always imply a savage, brutal cease of life and opportunities, but, rather, a release; that the Hyuuga, upon hearing Sasuke's thickly-spoken ultimatum, smiled.

"I won't, Sasuke…I told you to meet me here, because I'm ready to be yours," Neji explained happily, reaching his leather-gloved hands up to slide his fingers across Sasuke's cloaked-covered forearms, his touches kept simple and mindful as both men were well aware that, at this moment in the drizzling snow, they were trying to rebuild something spectacular, "…and, should I ever hurt you again, I'll let you kill me."

Sasuke breathed out a small laugh as he closed his eyes and carefully leant his head forward until he and the Hyuuga could rest their foreheads against one another, Neji's fingers absently petting each of the Uchiha's arms, as Sasuke absorbed his lover's significant answer and the increasing sense of shared liberation that was forming between them, already mentally surmising that this must have meant that the pale-eyed young man had defected from the Leaf Village for him as well.

His genius, strategic mind quite unable to form any kind of solid reply to the surprising, gorgeous Hyuuga, Sasuke meticulously angled his face down lower and brought his lips to Neji's, immediately forgetting the freezing snow and the dropping temperatures around him upon feeling such grace and warmth flood into his very being upon having the Hyuuga's smooth, luscious lips moving over his own again, almost like a heavenly light was once again being cast down upon solely him and washing away all of the darkness that he had let control him for such a long time.

Neji's hands had tightened in their grip on Sasuke's outstretched arms in an encouraging, gracious manner, as the Hyuuga relished in the indescribable sensations coursing through him upon feeling the raven's familiar lips tasting him, accepting him, still loving only him; everything making the Hyuuga feeling like breaking down right now and crying into his hands while, at the same time, laughing out loud to the frigid skies.

The Hyuuga had meant it when he had told Sasuke that he would accept whatever additional blows he wished to execute, Neji, upon being fully roused from his shocked state, understanding completely why the first punch had even come, and the ex-Anbu officer had also meant it when he said the avenger could take his life if he ever brought him any more pain in the future.

Both men feeling like they were not just getting a second chance at being with each other, but, in fact, with their crazed, hardship-riddled lives, Sasuke and Neji kissed each other's lips, held onto the rough fabric of the other's clothing, out of pure, simple gratitude and everlasting loyalty that had once been meant for another purpose but now only for each other.

"Let's get out of here," Sasuke whispered to the moved, nearly speechless Hyuuga before him, clinging to his form and cherishing his presence, as the Uchiha watched as milky, glowing lilac-colored eyes opened half-way to regard him and his proposal.

"Lead the way," Neji whispered back to his lover, just as enamored and entranced within the Uchiha's singular, soulful stare that meant worlds the Hyuuga who knew full-well that Sasuke Uchiha did not look at just anyone the way he was gazing at him now, such meaning and weight present in his handsome features that it about took Neji's breath away.

Sasuke smirked at Neji's answer, before shifting his weight easily to stand up from his spot, his hands having seized Neji's arms once more to also stand him up from the ground, the Hyuuga quickly taking to brushing some of the snow off of his coat and bottom as the Uchiha studied him intensely at their intimately close proximity.

"You're still so beautiful; you haven't changed a bit," Sasuke grinned lightly at his long-haired companion, prompting Neji to stop his little, personal task of clearing away small specks of snow and dirt from his coat and look directly into Sasuke's chiseled features.

"Um…well, I uh…"Neji blushed as he tried to think of something to say, compliments coming from the Uchiha meaning far more to him than those from Kiba or anyone else for that matter, as he licked his lips before continuing, "…thank you, Sasuke. Your hair has gotten longer."

Forever pleased with how he could easily make the proud, noble Hyuuga blush and forget his vocabulary, Sasuke's smiled widened across his attractive features before replying to the impossibly adorable response from the former Anbu officer whom he knew had purposefully chosen not to mention his eye patch.

"You're probably right," Sasuke commented coolly, but refrained from continuing on about such a subject as he observed Neji's snow-kissed features gradually become more serious as they stood beside each other and spoke.

"Where are Suigetsu…and Juugo, and Karin? Are they here with you?" Neji asked curiously, his rare, stunning eyes sort of shifting from left to right in the off-chance that the aforementioned people had been standing a little ways behind them the whole time and were watching them now.

Sasuke blinked his midnight-colored eye calmly at Neji, his features remaining unchanged as he continued to sweep his gaze over the Hyuuga's pale face and long, flowing hair, hardly bothered by such a question about his previous comrades.

"Karin is dead and I left Suigetsu and Juugo some time ago," Sasuke offered plainly, no emotion whatsoever in his voice about such news as he spoke to his lover, Neji's thin, dark eyebrows raising up in shock as he processed the Uchiha's simple explanation.

"Are you serious? Karin is dead and…my God…"Neji voiced thoughtfully, still able to recall the fiery, red-haired woman and the sharp-toothed young man as they had quarreled heatedly about something, but then befriended him easily, and then later when the orange-haired giant had saved his life in the city streets, "…and you've been alone all this time?"

Sasuke felt his heart twinge inside of his chest at Neji's systematic way of finding a reason to worry over him specifically, and his features softened, finally, as he allowed for his classic, handsome smirk to grace his lips as he drank in the Hyuuga's precious stare.

"I'm not anymore," Sasuke countered smartly, affectionately with a cocky tip of his head towards his lover as he watched Neji's worried expression smoothly melt back into a kind, warm smile as the Hyuuga nodded agreeably with Sasuke's quick-witted response that obviously told the long-haired shinobi that the S-ranked criminal did not wish to dwell on the past for a momen longer now that they were together again.

X

Thirty-six minutes later…

"This is a nice room…" Neji said quietly in approval, mostly just voicing his thoughts aloud to himself, as he and Sasuke leisurely entered into their hotel room for the night that was located just outside one of the towns near the enclosed ninja village in the Land of Lightening.

Sasuke and Neji both shed their large, heavy coats at their own pace, shaking the cold off of them as Neji stepped a little further into the white and honey-decorated room that sported bold, cherry-colored accents of the few pieces of wooden furniture and the tastefully placed wall paintings.

"I suppose I should make us some tea…or do you want to eat a proper meal, because I could run out really quick to get some things to…"Neji had tried to voice completely but failed upon feeling Sasuke's strong hands grip his shoulders from behind and hastily spin the Byakugan user around in his place to stare into fierce onyx that seemed as if it could tear right through him.

Before Neji's lovely eyes could grow too much wider in surprise, Sasuke's petal-soft lips were slammed upon his own, claiming them with intoxicating, red-hot fury as the Uchiha silenced his long-haired lover with such a desperate, ravenous gesture that easily consumed the Hyuuga's every thought process.

"Food can wait…"Sasuke said in between their increasingly needy, delicious kisses, the urgent pressing of their lips together growing hotter and harder for the both of them as the Hyuuga dropped his coat unceremoniously onto the floor in favor of wrapping his arms swiftly around Sasuke's neck to keep him close, "…I need to make love to you right now, Neji…do you want to do it here…or in the bedroom?"

"Mmm…"Neji purred dreamily from such sultry, demanding words being growled to him in between their sharp, staccato kisses that made his body crave for more from his raven-haired lover indefinitely, "…take me right here, Sasuke."

Sasuke growled low in his throat in erotic approval of his lover's equally sensuous demands as the Uchiha hurriedly brought his hands to the front of Neji's robes and parted the off-white-colored fabric so that the Hyuuga could easily shrug off the garment.

Both of their warm tongues met outside of their mouths in a lustful display as they separated their lips only for an instant to regain some lost air, the Hyuuga's eyes closed as he felt Sasuke make long, savoring sweeps with his tongue against his own while the former Anbu pulled his own long-sleeved shirt from his pale body.

Two pairs of tingling, luscious lips closed over their swirling, moist tongues as a now shirtless Neji brought his hands to Sasuke's simple black shirt, gripping the material hard in his hands, while he purred against the raven's warm cavern, the Hyuuga's body starting to tremble in unimaginable expectancy as he felt Sasuke lower his hands to the top hem of his pants.

However, with a tiny groan escaping him, Neji hastily tore his mouth away from Sasuke's parted, tempting lips, as the Byakugan user almost violently used his grip on Sasuke's shirt to lift it up and over his head until the Uchiha had to comply by raising his arms so that the garment did not shred under Neji's hurried ministrations that served to only make his blood run even hotter inside his veins.

Sasuke had expected to receive another fierce kiss from his lover upon being rid of his shirt as well, but dropped his slightly surprised gaze the instant he felt Neji lowering his own body down to his knees as the long-haired shinobi trailed sloppy, open-mouthed kisses and licks down his stomach as he went.

"Mmn...yes..."Sasuke cooed airily as he felt his powerful body experience raw, intense jolts of toe-curling pleasure the more Neji's sinfully warm lips and tongue caressed his toned, scarred flesh, the Uchiha barely able to realize that his mind was growing more and more fuzzy with sexual haze with every inch Neji lowered his praising ministrations until the latter was poised perfectly onto his knees before him.

"Neji..."Sasuke purred mindlessly, feeling his once-furious, determined senses start to make his body tingle all over as he watched as Neji easily inched down his black pants while still looking up to meet his half-lidded, misted gaze with his one of his own, the simple image of Neji looking up to him as he was serving to be unbearably sexy to the raven-haired man.

Without the slightest hint of hesitation as the the sheer boldness from Neji's actions were enough to make Sasuke and Neji's skin warm up to incredible degrees, the pale-eyed young man casually freed the Uchiha's straining erection from its confines and teasingly brought out his tongue to make long, soul-shattering licks from the thick base to the swollen tip, not tasting his fluids just yet as the Hyuuga immediately took to massaging Sasuke's impressive length up and down with his moistened muscle.

"Nng..."Sasuke purred wantonly before carefully bringing up a hand to the crown of Neji's chocolate head, the Hyuuga having slowly closed his eyes as he leisurely wrapped his lips around the wide head of Sasuke's cock, the whole act seeming as if Neji was truly in awe of the taste of his lover's flesh at last as he tongued heavily around the leaking slit and smooth, sensitive contours.

"...ha...ha..."Sasuke trembled upon finally being inside that delicious, moist cavern, his hold on Neji's head becoming a bit more tense and urgent as he felt the erotic Hyuuga continue to pull down his black trousers for him, while executing an excruciating pace of meticulously bobbing his head up and down the Sharingan user's sex, tasting him every time he massaged Sasuke's head with his lips before carefully swallowing the whole thing down his throat.

"Fuck, baby...faster..."Sasuke grunted hotly, feeling his hips slowly moving in time with the pace of Neji's mouth moving over his cock, begging for his lover to suck him off versus just taunting him with the thought, as the Hyuuga's thick tongue dug into the receptive underside of his length until the rave shuddered every time he felt Neji's throat close around him entirely,

Black pants pooled on the light-colored floor at their feet as Neji brought up his hands again to either side of Sasuke's naked thighs and scratched his nails down the battle-hardened muscles that felt wrapped in satin to his touch, the Hyuuga gradually increasing his pace of letting Sasuke's cock slide in and out of his parted lips now that Neji had something to hold onto for leverage and was instantly pleased when he felt the Uchiha gasp sensually to the ceiling and use the hand holding onto the back of his head to give Neji little pushes to take him even harder, to swallow him even deeper.

"Mmm...mmn..."Neji hummed low in his throat, able to feel Sasuke reaching some sort of mind-breaking limit as the raven's arousal pulsed and jumped inside of his mouth, Sasuke letting a few more heated gasps escape his precious lips before he suddenly fisted Neji's long hair in his hand and tipped his head down.

Pale, slender hands squeezed at Sasuke's thighs, the Hyuuga continuing to purr for his drowning, groaning lover as he allowed Sasuke to fuck his cock into his mouth as he pleased while hurriedly relaxed his lips and willed his throat not to close up around the intruding length as Neji could tell that Sasuke was deliciously close.

"Neji...shit...get ready for it..."Sasuke growled but moaned quickly thereafter as he felt the ex-Anbu officer scratch his nails against his flesh once more as if in message to the raven that the brunette needed to taste him completely, that he wanted Sasuke to release into his mouth and give him exactly what the Uchiha had warned him about.

"Haa..."Sasuke shuddered sporadically as he lost himself in his own wicked thoughts of Neji's intentions, his every pleasurable sensation coursing through him from Neji having applied just enough coaxing to his body to make him reach an ethereal apex, his overall lust for the older male whose mouth was currently wrapped around the base of his cock and making sure that all of Sasuke's releasing come rushed down his throat so that he could swallow all of the warm, thick fluid with mind-blowing ease.

The massacre survivor tried to curl his large, rugged body around the source of his immaculate pleasure as his quivering, climaxing form hovered slightly over Neji's crouched body as Sasuke absolutely relished in how his Hyuuga nipped and lapped at his slit now that he had finished coming into his mouth and was now simply enjoying the sheer weightless satisfaction and thrill.

Neji trailed his fingers down the rigid but flexible muscles adorning Sasuke's strong thighs and calves before letting his hands fall away from the raven's body completely, the Hyuuga's mouth being slowly removed from his lover's sated but still quite hardened cock as Neji caught his breath and allowed for blood to rush back into his numbed lips.

Sasuke watched with an impossibly relaxed expression as the sexy Hyuuga stood up from his spot on the floor, but only to turn on his heels and walk a little further into the hotel room, Neji using measured, seductive steps until he was in the center of the main area before turning back around to face his raven-haired lover and bringing his own hands to his pants.

"Come over here and give me what I want, Uchiha..."Neji demanded with a rich, saucy voice that served much like a fine liquor running down Sasuke's throat to further intoxicate him as he watched as the long-haired shinobi tugged his own white pants down his long, slender legs, all of the taut curves and lines of well-honed muscle carving Neji's heavenly body in full view for his lover's pleasure while he did so.

Sasuke narrowed his charcoal-black eye dangerously at the sinfully tempting sight before him, a sight, he mused, that would drive any man to his own death with a smile on his face, as the Uchiha smirked before closing the small distance between them with equally timed steps, his visible gaze watching intently as the beautiful Hyuuga sank down onto the floor with ever-present elegance now that the Uchiha was obeying him.

"It's been way too long, Hyuuga," Sasuke commented with dry, dark humor, as he also dropped down to his knees, watching as Neji turned his pale physique around on his place on the floor so that he was positioned on his forearms and knees before the avenger.

"It certainly has...won't you take it easy with me...?"Neji asked a bit cheekily as he let his whole body relax as the moment he felt Sasuke run his hands appreciatively up his back, squeeze once at his shoulders, before trailing them back down his sides, the Uchiha unabashedly praising the Hyuuga's erotic, perfect body that always seemed to send his senses and better judgment into disarray whenever in plain sight.

"Not a chance," Sasuke replied as quick as a whip, a daring smirk still present on his bandaged, handsome face as he dipped his body lower upon the Hyuuga, already loving the sensations it brought him as he felt the backs of Neji's legs against his own, as he brought his hands to the pale-eyed man's firm, alluring ass and gripped the supple contours hard in a possessive, ruthless hold.

"...nnh...more, Sasuke...please, I'm dying to feel more of you..."Neji begged in a hushed, gravel-laden voice that sent razor-sharp vibrations straight to Sasuke's groin as he glanced up from his hands to Neji's softly writhing form, the Hyuuga's impressive hair strewn across his shoulders and pooling in artistic arcs on the floor as he pleaded to his lover with sex itself present in his voice.

Lowering further still, the smooth as satin friction of Neji's porcelain skin rubbing against his own making the fire in both man's lower abdomens increase in its astounding heat and rage, Sasuke lightly snorted a pleased chuckle at his lover's sugar-topped words, as he used his grip on Neji's ass to gently spread his thighs a little further apart for him.

"...so impatient...but I do love it when you give me orders, Neji," Sasuke commented sinisterly, able to physically feel Neji shiver with growing, delightful lust from such forbidden words beneath his hands, as he deftly brought out his tongue and made a single, careful lick to the Hyuuga's puckered, pink entrance.

"Hah! Oh my God...d-do that again, Sasuke...!"Neji could not help but demand of his lover as he widened his stance even more to allow Sasuke more room to settle his larger form behind him as the Hyuuga had immediately shot his head up from the floor, tossing dark-brown tresses everywhere, as he called out to the bold Uchiha.

"Hmm...gladly," Sasuke growled in absolute agreement against the soft, supple curve of Neji's ass, his first lick only serving as a sort of test of his gorgeous, pale-eyed lover, before the raven tightened his grip on Neji's poised, alluring ass and moved his lips back to the twitching, pleading entrance once more.

With the knowledge fresh in his head of just how he wanted to bring Neji Hyuuga out of his right mind by delivering him teetering pleasure that failed to register as any real satisfaction but would make his noble lover nearly collapse from over-stimulation, Sasuke drove his tongue into Neji's entrance hard, savoring the tone and intensity the ex-Anbu had used in his immediate moan.

Forever fueled by just how delectable his long-haired lover truly was when in ecstasy, Sasuke swirled his thick, strong tongue, tasting every bit of Neji's sweetness that graced his being, as the Uchiha massaged the Hyuuga's cheeks in his hands while he worked, feeling his own body start to react to all of Neji's high-pitched moans that sounded like candy-sweet begging in their own right.

"Oh my...ohh...S-Sasuke...holy shit, it's so good..."Neji stammered breathlessly in between his multiplying moans as the Hyuuga continued to thrash his head from side to side in an erotic display of unspeakable pleasure that nearly bordered on torture as he trembled around Sasuke's probing, slippery tongue that massaged so indisputably perfectly over his insides and against his most sensitive flesh.

Feeling his own urgent need piling on top of him from Neji's arousing reactions to almost a breaking point, Sasuke squeezed the petal-soft flesh in his hands, groaning against the crevice of Neji's ass of his own accord as he pulled out his tongue from his lover's entrance but only to make quick, maddening laps at the moistened ring of muscle that was now beginning to relax around his intrusion and accept whatever ministrations he bestowed.

"Ooh, baby...I fucking love it..."Neji panted hotly and not without the knowledge that it was some kind of understood signal between the two of them that whenever the Hyuuga cursed was when he was wholly enveloped in mind-warping pleasure and could barely think straight.

Upon hearing his lover's cries of pleasure turn into molten-hot words that he knew turned him on even more, Sasuke pulled his mouth away from Neji ass but only just so he could fluidly bring a hand to his mouth and slip a few of his own fingers in between his lips.

As quickly as Sasuke had shoved a few of his fingers into his mouth, they were gone as the Uchiha shifted his weight again on his knees behind his quivering, entranced lover who would probably do just about anything he asked of him at the moment, as the avenger smirked at Neji's raunchily disheveled appearance while rubbing his saliva-slick fingers against his lover's sopping wet entrance.

"...then you're really going to love this..."Sasuke prompted cheekily before suddenly shoving two, moist fingers inside of the pale, beautiful Byakugan user, instantly drawn in and captivated by the way Neji arched his slender back underneath his hands and cried out to the darkened ceiling in nothing but pure, unrestrained bliss.

The raven-haired male felt his own body starting to desperately beseech him to find his own relief with such a stunning creature, for continuing to watch such beauty unfold before his eyes and manifest itself into soul-searing eroticism was edging dangerously close into making Sasuke forget all of his necessary restraint and composure, being a person that genuinely cared for the lovely young man before him, loving and dying over every, single one of his touches.

Sasuke nipped at one of Neji's cheeks, his fingers easily sliding in and out of his long-haired Hyuuga's body, feeling and remembering his warm, textures insides and how they equally massaged his own intruding digits in a truly coaxing manner, before the Uchiha brought his tongue to Neji's stretching entrance once more.

"Ahh...Sasuke...!" Neji cried out heatedly the instant he felt his lover's talented tongue join his fingers, as his entrance was properly stretched and lubricated with the Uchiha's own saliva where every one of Sasuke's movements seemed impossibly effortless, which only served to make the lustful, wanton Hyuuga crave for something much bigger to fill him in the process.

"Sasuke, please...I need your cock...right now..."Neji gasped sensuously, his whole body feeling on-edge and vibrantly electric as he clawed unconsciously at the simple flooring beneath his hands, a pale but semi-flushed cheek visible from over the Hyuuga's shoulder as he looked back towards his panting, painfully hard lover behind him.

Sasuke had to catch his breath as he pulled his fingers and mouth away form Neji's flawless body once more, always feeling that the Hyuuga got the better of him in this situation as the avenger could feel his own body screaming at him to take the begging, heavenly male sprawled out before him at once before he ended up killing someone.

With the elegance and grace that only a seasoned shinobi truly possessed, Sasuke lowered his body almost completely on top of Neji's glistening, paler one, as he planted one hand on the floor in front of them both for support while his other hand gripped the base of his cock.

Sasuke dipped his spiky, raven head down and placed his parted lips by Neji's ear, cherishing how he felt the Gentle Fist master stretch his agile body underneath him and press it up against his own as the Uchiha hovered over him before doing anything else, his every movement unhurried.

"Neji..."Sasuke warned quietly, loving how the former Anbu officer only relaxed his awe-inspiring body more for him as the Uchiha slowly directed his throbbing sex into Neji's poised, prepared entrance, easily feeling the outer flesh give way around his wide intrusion.

"Nnh...I...forgot just how...haa...big you are..."Neji admitted through painfully grit teeth as Sasuke sheathed himself inside Neji's insanity-sparking heat that squeezed and pushed against his cock in the most exquisite of ways that nearly had Sasuke blanking out for a second, the Hyuuga trying desperately to mentally bypass such nagging but present discomfort.

"...let me remind you," Sasuke whispered darkly into Neji's ear, feeling the slighter man trembling against his chest to try to deal with his large size, as the Uchiha could not help but grind his hips deliciously into Neji's ass, making his toned, lower abdomen slide enticingly over Neji's firm curves, before retracting his heavy cock.

Using an unimaginable, timed pace of moving his hips back and forward, Sasuke slid his dripping sex in and out of Neji's writhing body, letting the Hyuuga gradually get used to the feeling of having something so large and rigid moving inside of him as the Sharingan user kept his head bowed down in extreme concentration.

"...so good...ahh...oh my God, Sasuke...faster..."Neji groaned out with hazy words as he stretched his lithe body once more against Sasuke's leisurely moving one, the Hyuuga in desperate need of having that firm member forcing its way inside of him at a much quicker rate now that his body had adjusted to Sasuke's sex and achingly desired for more.

Complying wordlessly, Sasuke picked up his pace straight away, using his hands that held fast onto the floor and the side of Neji's gently rising hips, to drive his begging length hard into the Hyuuga's willing, warm body that responsively fluttered around his flesh with every sharp thrust and movement he made.

"Ha...baby...it feels too good inside of you...mmh...keep moving your hips like that...ohh...yes..."Sasuke rasped out with sheer, blunt eroticism lacing his words and delivering Neji even more white-hot pleasure as his arching, moaning body absolutely drank in and memorized exactly how Sasuke's well-muscled hips felt moving against his ass, the way that Sasuke pulled him into each thrust that made his throbbing member slam into his entrance and pound against his prostate in such a way that the former Anbu could barely hear his own vocalized noises anymore.

A tiny, translucent line of Sasuke come slipped down Neji's chin from his parted, screaming lips until most of the creamy substance dripped onto the floor below, as Neji's seemingly endless cries and moans for more from his fiery, raven-haired lover only intensified as soon as he felt the Uchiha quicken his thrusts even more, their pace of lovemaking bordering on frantic and extraordinarily savage in nature, as Neji hollered in adamant response to such sense-numbing pleasure.

"God, Neji...you look so fucking sexy right now...I want to see you come..."Sasuke growled heatedly to his mindless, over-stimulated lover before hurriedly tangling his long, skilled fingers into the mass of brunette hair before him and pulling Neji's head up from the floor as he also leaned his weight back so that the raven was positioned firmly on his knees once more rather than leaning over the Hyuuga.

His body having been made to arch as Sasuke maintained his hold on the Hyuuga's long, silken locks, Neji initially grit his teeth from the dull but invigorating pain to his scalp, but moaned out in a breathless, addictive sound as he felt the avenger use his free hand to wrap around his bouncing, straining member in between his parted, moving thighs.

"Fucking hell, Sasuke...I...ahh...ohh...yes..._please_...just like that...s-so close..."Neji struggled to voice articulately as his body was suddenly seized by a whole new level of toe-curling pleasure to be felt, his pale, rare eyes nearly rolling in the back of his head as he felt his orgasm rapidly approaching at a relentless speed as his Uchiha hastily stroked his rigid cock while still keeping his body hoisted by the hold in his hair while they made love.

"Come for me, Neji...right now; let go..."Sasuke commanded with sultry silk in his panting voice as he continued to thrust wildly into his teetering, nearing lover, able to see just how Neji's beautiful body reacted to his words, to his own feelings of building, burdening desire to experience relief as the Hyuuga's moans ended breathlessly now as he snapped his hips back into Sasuke's thrusts with almost brutal force while squirming from his lover's ministrations to his pulsating member.

"Haa...c-coming...Sasuke, shit...I'm coming...!"Neji screamed in a lovely crescendo as his body suddenly tensed underneath Sasuke's touches as the Hyuuga balled his hands into fists against the floor and let the Uchiha pull stream after stream of thick, warm come from his spasming, twitching member inside his hand.

Sasuke had felt his mouth go dry the moment he felt Neji tighten his inner walls around his cock as the Hyuuga spilled his seed onto the hotel room floor in a delightfully shameless, sinful manner that pleased the criminal Uchiha to no end, obligingly bringing his own thrusts to a halt as he squeezed a few more times at Neji's arousal, knowing that his lover's release was leaking enticingly messily onto the floor beneath them as he felt Neji shiver upon reaching a complete fulfillment.

Freeing his moistened, come-splashed hand from Neij's groin, Sasuke pulled his painfully hard member from Neji's entrance as well as he shifted his weight a few inches back from the panting, dreamy-eyed angel in front of him, the Uchiha waiting until Neji regained a little composure and turned around in his spot to seek him out before lifting his sullied hand to his smirking mouth and teasingly licking up some of the glistening, white come that was on his flesh.

"Turn over..." Sasuke ordered simply, his visible eye almost glaring with how must unbridled, life-changing lust and desire he currently had for the powerful man opposite him, Neji already moving as instructed as he pulled his long, toned legs around and laid down on his back, light-colored eyes still glued to the jolting, erotic display before him.

Satisfied with Neji's unquestioned obedience during sex, Sasuke crawled back up Neji's strong body, the thin sheet of sweat covering his pale limbs only serving to enhance the milky, ethereal beauty of his flesh, as half-lidded, lilac eyes welcomed him whence the Uchiha met his gaze.

"Sasuke..."Neji began dreamily, the Hyuuga seeming to be in touch with something quite astounding and not of this physical world anymore as he peered lovingly, warmly into Sasuke's sweat-matted face where his long, raven bangs stuck to his forehead and cheeks at endearingly odd angles, "...I love you."

Sasuke breathed a bit easier, remembering quite solidly inside his own mind that he and the Hyuuga were not simply having sex or getting reacquainted after so much time spent apart; they were making love...reaffirming what was already there.

"I love you, too," Sasuke replied solemnly as he gingerly wrapped Neji's legs around his waist and easily slipped his cock back inside his lover's moist, warm entrance, the Uchiha sighing out his pleasure the moment he felt Neji's familiar, tight heat around his length once more.

One of each man's hands effortlessly found its way to its partner, as they clutched onto each others' fingers, keeping their interlocked hands lying flat on the floor beside them, as Neji hiked up his creamy legs a little higher along Sasuke's sides while he felt his body get filled once more.

Too caught up in the impossibly warm and trance-like atmosphere that was occurring around them, far too caught up in how much they loved each other in spite of their differences, their hardships, Sasuke and Neji pressed their lips together to swallow the others' noises of pleasure, as Sasuke began to thrust his member in and out of the pale-eyed male beneath him with savoring but commanding movements.

Every time he felt Sasuke snap those sex-promising hips of his forward and drive his throbbing arousal deep inside of him, Neji moaned against Sasuke's petal-soft mouth, their hands squeezing together at their side in mutual, loyal affectionate that fore-went mere earthly limitations or taboos, as Neji and Sasuke both gave each other everything they had at this one moment.

The weight and the meaning of their lovemaking pressing pleasantly down upon them, Sasuke parted Neji's lips with his own, tilting his raven head ever-so slightly to a side before slipping his tongue inside of his lover's sweet mouth, both men tasting the other, tasting their future, as the Uchiha increased the pace of his soul-crushing thrusts that simultaneously caused the Byakugan user to wrap his free arm around Sasuke's shoulder and hug his larger, tattooed frame even more towards his own body.

"Mmh...nnh...!" Neji purred before moaning sharply into Sasuke's warm cavern, the Uchiha's eyes closed in excessive bliss from feeling every one of his inner desires being satisfied at the same time as he gripped Neji's slender hand harder, kissed him with even more fierceness, and pounded his heavy cock into his entrance with even more vigor, even more desperate, dire need to experience relief and see to his wonderful Hyuuga's ultimate pleasure as well.

Neji and Sasuke separated their lips to breathe, and Sasuke took the split second where he had had some of senses back, to slip his free arm underneath and around Neji's delicate back, their two bodies seeming to blend seamlessly together as they remained connected in nearly every possible way as they found their overall ecstasy build exponentially from such a intimate realization.

"Baby...look at me..."Sasuke whispered with unforeseeable consideration in his voice as he ground his arousal over and over inside of his lover's writhing body, tempted to rest his head along that pale collarbone of his but not willing to do so as the raven continued to watch every emotion, every flutter of ecstasy that crossed Neji's gorgeous features at such a close proximity.

Brow lightly furrowed with sinfully exquisite pleasure, his sakura-colored lips parted as he moaned and breathed, Neji cast his half-lidded eyes directly into Sasuke's handsome, partially covered face upon hearing his words, the Hyuuga able to feel Sasuke' cock swelling inside of him with the need to climax, pushing even harder against his inner walls and delivering him even more pleasure to be felt with each, stretching thrust.

"I don't want to live without you ever again...you hear me..."Sasuke rasped thickly despite his lust-ridden voice that ebbed away at any sharpness such words might have as the raven pawed at Neji's arching, flexing back and positively buried all of himself into that perfect, beautiful body of his; shooting his seed deep inside of Neji's convulsing heat and splashing his essence along his lover's soft, slippery insides that felt too good around every, pulsating inch of his sex him while he did so.

Sasuke's stunning features were contorted to that of extreme pain even though it was nothing but impossible pleasure and fulfillment that he felt as he arched his own back and opened his eyes just in time to see Neji bow his body up from the floor as well as the Hyuuga tossed his chocolate head back and moaned Sasuke's full name while coming in between their grinding, rutting bodies.

Despite his own growing fatigue, Sasuke relished in how his every fiber seemed practically saturated in Neji, his every nerve and reason for being was completely sated and at ease within himself, as he let his singular, onyx gaze sweep over Neji's shaking, sparkling body as the Byakugan user had his eyes closed as he fought to catch his breath while tenderly lowering his body down to lie flat on the floor.

With a soft, tired smile on his face, the Uchiha freed both of his hands from the Hyuuga's body so he may carefully retract his softened, dripping member from his lover, before maneuvering his own frame to lie down directly next to the long-haired male, his gaze never leaving Neji's peaceful expression as the Hyuuga had obviously calmed down and lolled his chocolate head slightly to a side.

"Neji..."Sasuke cooed to the noble, former Anbu officer lying limply by his side, the Uchiha more than able to recognize that his lover was already fast asleep beside him even in spite of how soiled their bodies were with various fluids and how they were still in the main area of the hotel room, and Sasuke could not help but find the whole display terribly charming.

He had worn the proud Hyuuga out.

The entire day, as emotionally taxing and jaunting as it had been, had worn the both of them out, but it had been Neji to fall asleep first in the midst of their staggeringly serene afterglow of post-sex euphoria that they both had been experiencing, savoring.

While Sasuke realized that he, in turn, was more than capable of joining his lovely companion in just going to sleep right where he lay, Sasuke, nonetheless, took a deep, clarifying breath, letting it fill his lungs with a touch of renewed vigor, as he forced himself to sit up straight.

Hands calloused from years of intense fighting that no mere man could have ever hoped to survive, slipped underneath Neji's shoulder blades and mindfully lifted his lithe, lax form up from the floor as Sasuke hoisted his sleeping lover against his chest while standing up from his spot.

Neji did not even stir once from being moved as the Hyuuga seemed to effortlessly find a place on Sasuke's shoulder to lay his precious head while the Uchiha secured his long, tattooed arms around Neji's slender back, the raven loving the way Neji's totally relaxed form felt against his own without any restrictions or uncertainties whatsoever, before he started to take cautious steps towards the adjacent, similarly-designed bedroom.

"Neji..."Sasuke whispered the the warm, passionate bundle sleeping soundly in his embrace, the Hyuuga's arms tucked cutely against his own stomach as he was carried into the next room over by his surprisingly sentimental, amorous lover, "...I let you go once...I'm not going to do it again."

As he was brought into the unlit bedroom by the one man whom he loved and trusted so much so that it sometimes brought him physical pain when considering such girth and magnitude, Neji smiled quietly against the taut, solid flesh of Sasuke's shoulder as he kept his gorgeous eyes closed and reveled in his avenger's softly spoken words to him that only punctuated the Uchiha's earlier statement whilst they had made love.

Neji had heard Sasuke perfectly clear then, and could not have agreed with his fiery lover more – he also could not be without the raven-haired Uchiha male in his life...never again.

The small, beautiful smile curving the Hyuuga's full lips did not disappear in the least as he felt Sasuke bring them both to the single, flawlessly-made bed in the center of the spacious, somber room so they both may seek proper sleep in each others' arms, each man knowing in the breadth of their heart, with an enriching rush of adrenaline and untouchable joy, that they were to start a completely different life the next day when they woke up in the exact, same position.

_Author's Note_: Ah…everyone breathe a collected sigh of relief lol. XD My story is almost over, so I really hope you post your reviews seeing as how SBwCD is about to get swallowed up in the never-ending tidal wave of Sasuke Uchiha fics…mine never to see daylight again. Sad. So, please review and tell me what you think and what your favorite part has been so far, yeah? THANKS FANS!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Thirteen days later…

"Madara! I know you're here. We need to talk!"Sasuke called out to the bustling, bare trees as a sharp wind pushed passed him and the frozen, motionless scenery, ruffling through the long, ebony folds of his cloak and equally colorless, spiky hair.

A single, black eye scoped the surrounding, wooded area just outside of the current Akatsuki headquarters where he and Neji Hyuuga had been staying at, as Sasuke listened intently to the specific yet sporadic movements of the thin, tree branches, the infinite number of times the wind itself had to cut and cut again around stationary objects and continue on its journey.

The winter weather was still harsh and unforgiving, thick blankets of snow covering the ground and coating the world in a shapeless white, but the young Uchiha male paid the biting cold little mind as he searched his angles for the man whom he had called.

"Ah…this is a surprise;" a sinisterly sweet voice suddenly piped up from somewhere towards Sasuke's eastern direction, prompting the young shinobi to whip around in place just in time to see an ominous, unsettling blur of orange and black appear from behind several of the taller trees, "…the Great Sasuke Uchiha actually wishing to speak with me? How unheard of…"

"Cut the crap, Madara. I called you here to talk business," Sasuke deadpanned to his older colleague's joking tone and pseudo-skeptic words as Madara Uchiha, dressed in his similar Akatsuki cloak and strange mask that made his short, black locks stand up wildly from his head.

"Oh? And what might be the topic…?" Madara continued in his almost carefree, timbered voice to his younger relative, hopping down to Sasuke's level from the upper bank on which he had emerged as he watched through the one eye-hole in his mask as the other Uchiha male tightened his features and glared coolly at his approaching form.

"I want out," Sasuke spoke solidly, evenly, leaving no room for misunderstanding as he chose to only say as much to the older Uchiha before him, his features remaining as icy as the surrounding snow in the atmosphere as he held Madara's stare with his own.

A black-gloved hand was lifted up out of Madara's inky robes as the older Uchiha scratched at his own spiked, raven locks for a moment, silence strong and daunting in between them before the older male spoke.

"You want…out…?"Madara questioned as he lowered his hand down from sifting through his own hair in utter puzzlement as to why Sasuke, his impromptu pupil and prodigy, would suddenly make this decision.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at how the older Uchiha had repeated his own statement back to him, wanting to voice how Madara was acting like an old, senile man, but decided against it as he still had a valid point to make about their arrangement.

"I'm out;" Sasuke confirmed stonily to his older counterpart, "I'm done. As of today, I'm done with all of our plans…all of it."

Having not entirely adhered to his old and forgetful state just yet, Madara Uchiha licked the front of his white teeth from behind his mask, his single, Sharingan eye narrowing at Sasuke's form as the Uchiha founder's razor-sharp mind was able to piece together a reason as to why this had suddenly come up with his comrade in arms.

"I see…"Madara drawled out cockily, stepping a bit closer to Sasuke with rounded steps so that he approached one of his sides as he continued in his condescending, analytical tone, "…so…no more revenge on Konoha…? No more…avenging Itachi's sake and name, eh? What about everything that you had ever set your sights on, huh?"

"All of that has changed," Sasuke closed his visible eye and snapped back with sizzling fire in his words as he replied back to Madara's purposefully executed taunt and reminders of everything he was forsaking by going through with what he had proclaimed.

"Why is that, dear Sasuke?" Madara continued on to his younger relative, the older male having gotten considerably closer to Sasuke as he was practically standing right behind him as he continued speaking to him with his slow, measured words, "…would it happen to have something to do with that beautiful boy who's been hanging around you lately…?"

Suddenly, in a billowing flash of blurred, blackened motion, Sasuke whirled around in his spot so that he faced his older relative and grabbed two handfuls of his Akatsuki cloak as he pulled their faces close, the younger man's expression that of dangerous severity and violence while Madara's usual orange mask remained unchanged.

"If you…ever come near him…I'll kill you. Do you get it? I will kill you, Madara," Sasuke seethed venomously in the face of his clan elder, his grip mercilessly strong on the thick fabric of the older male's robes as he had practically growled out his heated threat to him, meaning every word right down to his core.

"So, I'm right, then. You wish to give up this life, everything that we've worked towards…for him," Madara chose to pose his thoughts as statements rather than questions as he regarded Sasuke's ravenous glare with a cool temperament and calm words.

"I'm giving all this up…"Sasuke confirmed with much less furious heat in his voice but with the same amount of intensity as he, in fact, replied very solemnly, very meaningfully back to his clan relative still just inches away from his own form, "…because I have to protect him. If I go through…with everything that we've planned, he'll be killed. I…can't…I can't let anything bad happen to him."

"Sasuke," Madara said to his confessing prodigy with a sad but understanding smirk behind his odd mask as he dared to lift a gloved hand to the younger Uchiha's shoulder and place it there in a friendly, comforting gesture, "…I get it. You love him."

Upon hearing the older Uchiha almost soothingly say exactly what was inside his heart in a positive manner, Sasuke initially said nothing as he released his hold on the front of Madara's cloak and then took a mindful step away from the other criminal Uchiha male, his mind still trying to wrap around the outcome of what had just transpired between the two of them concerning his future.

"Yeah, so you'll have to find someone else, I guess," Sasuke said a bit indifferently before turning his back on the older Uchiha and storming away from him, making his fading form appear to be only a smudge of charcoal-black ash against the pillow-soft whiteness that made up the quiet, seasonal area.

"Sasuke!" Madara voiced loudly to Sasuke's back before the younger male got too far away, a last bit of advice occurring to the older Uchiha to say to his rather thick-headed relative before they were to call their camaraderie to a bittersweet end.

The avenger stopped walking but did not turn around to face Madara while the latter spoke.

"You realize that you're only sacrificing one kind of trouble for another. He's a Hyuuga; the Leaf Village won't let him go so easily. They are bound to come looking for him some time," Madara reasoned, his words not intending to be a last-ditch effort to recruit Sasuke back into his ranks, but to genuinely serve as a wise warning that the younger Uchiha deserved to hear from someone close to him before anything was set in stone.

"I know that," Sasuke spoke quietly but with the knowledge that the elite, older shinobi behind would be able to hear him perfectly clear, "…but like I said…I'll protect him."

And with that, Sasuke's form disappeared from view, leaving Madara to only gaze upon the snowy scenery that was left in his wake while he continued to stay put and absorb everything that was said, everything that his young relative had just conveyed to him.

"Hmph…"Madara snorted lightheartedly at the prospect that his only living relative had chosen to leave his side, but a smirk instead graced his rarely-seen features as he considered the reason for such a development to take place within his complicated family.

While Madara gathered full well that all of his ambitions to thwart Konoha with a mighty onslaught from both himself and Sasuke Uchiha had been effortlessly crushed right before his eyes, the older Uchiha could not deny that he felt happy for his most unfortunate younger relative.

Sasuke was in love and willing to renounce all of his vengeful plans and ideas, things that had been nurtured so intricately and intimately expecially since the death of his older brother, and Madara could not help but feel that the powerful but oftentimes unruly younger shinobi deserved to be happy, to have whom he loved and to no longer know what it meant to live with emptiness.

"Maybe I am growing senile…"the older Uchiha male commented aloud to no one in particular before also disappearing from view, intentionally heading in the opposite direction from the one Sasuke had taken to, no doubt, head back to his beloved Neji Hyuuga.

X

A few minutes later, Sasuke entered into the underground Akatsuki hideout from the hidden, stone wall that banked on parts of the river on the outskirts of town, as he began easily sprinting across the dedicated sporting arenas, ritual grounds, and towards the stairwell that led up into the above-ground rooms and corridors.

The large, spacious facility was completely empty and void of additional sound aside from his own footsteps hitting the floor, as the young Uchiha male raced down one, marble-floored and purple-walled corridor towards a single room up ahead a ways from which he could already sense a familiar chakra signature radiating in warm, caressing waves.

Sasuke knew the route to this particular room well as he and the Hyuuga had chosen it as their main sleeping quarters upon first arriving at the vacant Akatsuki organization facility nearly two weeks prior, as it was one of the more somberly colored and coordinated rooms in all of the normal, living levels of the base that Neji and Sasuke found they favored the most.

Quieting his hurrying footsteps and somewhat haggard breathing upon approaching the dark, wooden door to the room, Sasuke halted for a moment before reaching out a hand and grasping the tiny, golden doorknob and twisting it to unlatch the catch in the jamb.

Silently, the raven pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside the darkened room, his single, visible eye immediately lowering onto the half-covered form located on the large futon before him while he did so.

Neji slept soundly on his stomach with his arms hugging the pillow to his pale, precious face, his lengthy, chocolate tresses carelessly spilled across his strong, exposed back and shoulders and the area around him, as the soft, maroon-colored blankets were twisted around his trim waist and legs all the while.

Sasuke smiled softly at the forever endearing sight before him as he shrugged off his heavy cloak and gathered it into his hands to be tossed over the back of a nearby armchair; the huge room containing two sheet-white armchairs that surrounded an oval-shaped, wooden coffee table with three, humongous bookshelves on either side that almost enclosed that sitting area apart from the expansive main area where one could easily transition from room to room.

While their light only came in the form of a few tasteful lamps that were tucked away in a couple of corners, the whole atmosphere of the navy and oak-decorated room was immensely serene and peaceful, the accents of white with the chairs and other separate furniture providing eye-catching brightness to the darkened but tranquil room that Sasuke and Neji both found extremely relaxing to both body and soul.

However, it was when Sasuke had been in the process of removing his shoes by the door that Neji began to stir lightly amongst the white sheet and maroon comforter, the Hyuuga nearly able to sense that his lover was thinking hard about something despite no words being exchanged, no thoughts conveyed.

Sasuke smirked bemusedly when he heard a rousing Hyuuga whine lightly in his throat as he gave his long limbs a little stretch before propping his upper body up onto his forearms, the Uchiha having just finished taking off his shoes and was now ready to join his pale-eyed companion back in bed as it was still quite early in the morning.

"Sasuke...what's wrong?" Neji naturally raspy voice sounded even more so as he nearly murmured the question to his raven-haired lover who was trying to carefully slip underneath the covers that were mostly wrapped around the Hyuuga's sleepy form.

"Nothing at all, baby," Sasuke said sweetly as he successfully tugged half of the blankets away from Neji and laid down properly next to him on his side, the Uchiha snuggling his larger, more powerful body in close behind Neji's smaller, lither form before bringing down his lips to Neji's bare shoulder.

"Where did you go?" Neji asked dreamily as he briefly adjusted how he was laying his head on his small pillow before scooting his body even closer to Sasuke's warm, comforting form and those luscious, gracious lips that were placing impossibly light but meticulously slow kisses to his creamy flesh.

Still keeping his full lips touching the skin of the Hyuuga's shoulder in a chaste, intimate gesture, Sasuke lifted a hand to Neji's firm, smooth ass underneath the covers, trailing his palm and fingers heavily across Neji's hip and up his trim side, until he let just his fingers run gently down Neji's spine, watching and relishing in how the long-haired shinobi only relaxed even more against him from his loving ministrations.

His touches were kept affectionate and appreciative, not at all edging into anything more heated and demanding, as the Uchiha just truly admired the silken feeling of Neji's soft, pale skin underneath his hand and the perfection that made up the contours of that slender, agile body whilst in the middle of such a peaceful, harmonious moment.

"I had to go cancel some plans...but I'm back now," Sasuke replied to his deadly, sexy lover before placing another, candy-sweet kiss to the back of Neji's shoulder blade, knowing that such a simple but significant gesture was always appreciated by the gorgeous Hyuuga before him as he heard Neji sigh in contented, sated response to both his quiet, 'bedroom' voice and gentle touches.

"...good..." Neji murmured once again before somewhat struggling to turn his body around so that he faced his watchful, handsome lover who was by his side once more, the Hyuuga admittedly having some difficulty shifting his weight as he was still a bit wound up in the bed sheets.

Sasuke felt his muscles fluidly relax into the many, cotton-soft bumps and ruffles present in their sheets and comforter as he watched Neji turn his naked body around to face him, opening his breathtaking eyes to view his lover in the process as he settled himself against the Uchiha's equally side-lying position.

Neji let out another, tiny huff of air upon finishing his small endeavor as he now nestled his face adorably on top of Sasuke's pillow as well, feeling the Uchiha's free hand drape across his back to hold him close as the Hyuuga, in turn, slipped a delicate, pale hand to Sasuke's hip.

Sasuke's asymmetrically-styled, raven bangs hung across his eyes and forehead at a particular slant due to him lying on his side, as he peered through his inky locks into entrancing, milky lavender orbs that were smoothly taking in his calm but bandaged features that were so close to his own.

Almost as if time itself had stopped for solely them, they gazed at each other, thinking in chronological orders that linked and flowed seamlessly as to exactly how they had ended up in this very situation, a situation almost too overwhelming in its pure simplicity and warmth, as both men had had to undergo treacherous odds where bonds have had to be broken in order to gain otherwise, trusts have had to be sacrificed in order to see exactly what was on the other side of everything they knew.

The surviving Uchiha, specifically, still had trouble wrapping his head around his sudden fortuity, his unpredictable answer that had come out of nowhere and had made everything seem so ridiculously easy and straight-forward, as if he should have always known and had never even tried to pursue what he had.

Just when Neji was about to close his heavy-lidded eyes and resume sleeping the chilly, winter morning away, Sasuke spoke to him; their noses and foreheads gingerly touching which made the Uchiha's words to his lover almost seem as if Neji had spoken them himself.

"I can't help but wonder, Neji...if things would have turned out like this with us if I had stayed in Konoha with everyone..."Sasuke commented quietly even though his words had far more meaning and significance in them then most of anything the Hyuuga had ever experienced.

"Who knows...I think we would have probably ended up fighting all the time and killing each other, but you know what?" Neji chose to maintain the sensitive, loving atmosphere as he sensed the Uchiha's ambiguous thinking processes rather than the raven trying to hone in on a specific something for them to pick through; the Uchiha simply being reflective and thoughtful even though the Hyuuga had a well-meaning, simple answer for him to consider.

Sasuke smirked before licking his lips, bringing his hand up Neji's smooth, curved back until his fingers coasted through long locks of chocolate-colored hair that he pulled away from his lover's stunning face.

"What's that?" the avenger provided the opportunity for Neji to complete his thought as the Byakugan user smiled a gorgeous smile at him before replying, loving his admiring touches to his hair and face.

"I still would have fallen in love with you, just under different circumstances," the Hyuuga replied solemnly, his softly spoken words as tender as the meaning they conveyed to the touched, heavyhearted Uchiha before him who was gently brushing his thick tresses away from his long neck for him while never breaking their effortless eye contact, two sets of powerful, rare eyes peering warmly into each other.

"...you know what...?" Sasuke replied with a growing, charming smile as he stilled his hand's movements on the side of Neji's upturned face, cradling the pale, delicate flesh against his rough palm as he let his lover's words soothe over his previous point of mild worry like a medicated balm that kissed away any tension that had even tried to make itself present within him.

"...what?" Neji responded kindly, enjoying their little game of give-and-take, as the Hyuuga easily melted even more so now that Sasuke's warm, comforting hand was simply holding onto his cheek, the Hyuuga knowing exactly how it was because the Uchiha saw him as something to be treasured, to take care of, to fight and sacrifice things for.

"You amaze me...and I know that even if I had stayed in the Leaf Village all this time, I still would have wanted to own you, to have you only belong to me...and do you know why, baby?"

"Tell me..."Neji purred breathlessly, his eyes having slipped closed as he nestled his picturesque face in a little closer to Sasuke's rugged, handsome features that shared the same pillow, charcoal-black eyes scanning intimately over Neji's angelic, serene expression as his own, timbered voice seemed to be lulling his Hyuuga into a sleepy, dream-like trance.

"Because even if I had not yet known how soft these lips of yours are...how incredible you taste...or how impossibly kind you are to me...sometimes you just know things about people, what they're really like, without ever having been told."

_Therefore, the wise know_

_to make no one a foe._

_The less coercing we do,_

_The more tranquillities grow._

_When harmony reigns,_

_and we rule ourselves with felicity,_

_everyone gains,_

_and we'll all live in simplicity._

- from 'Simplicity Blossoms When Coercion Dies'in the _Tao Te Ching_

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

_Author's Note_: YES! IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!! Sweet Lord, that was…well, that was hell to write. I hope everyone enjoyed it and the super sugary sweet ending that took me forever to actually come up with lol. Thanks a million and I can't wait to read some of your reviews! XD


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